Construction on the first section of the Northwest Trail marks a major step in the effort to complete the main 22-mile loop by 2030
ATLANTA (June 24, 2024) – Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, along with city and Atlanta BeltLine Inc. leaders, and community members broke ground on Northwest Trail Segment 5, a 0.8-mile stretch of the Northwest BeltLine Trail. This is a major milestone as the first full section of the Northwest Trail to undergo construction, with a construction schedule of 17 months.
The trail begins north of the intersection of Marietta Boulevard and Huff Road, traveling to Ellsworth Industrial and English Street in Blandtown. It will connect with the completed Westside Trail – Segment 3, which runs 1.2 miles from Huff Road to Law Street and links to the Westside Connector Trail into downtown Atlanta, as well as Westside Trail – Segment 4 currently under construction.
“This segment of the Atlanta BeltLine is going to bring even greater connectivity to Atlanta’s neighborhoods, furthering one of the largest and most influential redevelopment projects in the nation. This segment is going to increase pedestrian and bike friendly mobility and accessibility making it safer for kids to get to school. It’s important that our communities – often separated by infrastructure – are now being cultivated as interconnected neighborhoods, linking our citizens to one another, as well as to opportunities for economic prosperity and access to cultural and social amenities, improving their overall health, and enhancing their way of life,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “With each passing day, I am witnessing our vision for Atlanta take hold, which includes a city of safe, healthy, and connected neighborhoods. The integration of the Northwest Trail contributes to Atlanta’s progress, further enhancing equitable access to transportation to the Atlanta BeltLine for our city’s residents and our visitors.”
The remaining 3.6 miles of the Northwest Trail are currently in the final design phase of work or have completed the design phase. Design for the Northwest Trail will be complete for all segments by the end of the year. Once built, the full Northwest Trail will extend 4.3 miles between Blandtown and the Lindbergh/Morosgo neighborhoods. Other neighborhoods along the Northwest Trail corridor include Underwood Hills, Berkeley Park, Loring Heights, Brookwood, Collier Hills, Collier Hills North, Ardmore, Brookwood Hills, Peachtree Hills, and Garden Hills.
“Today’s groundbreaking of the first full section of the Northwest trail is yet another major milestone for the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “Not only is it a key step in finishing the 22-mile mainline BeltLine loop, but it will also provide Atlantans with regional trail connection to both the Chattahoochee River and the Silver Comet Trail, which goes all the way to Alabama.”
The BeltLine has more construction projects underway than any other time since its founding in 2005, as we move to complete the trail by 2030. ABI and Mayor Dickens announced an accelerated timeline for the Southside Trail, now set for completion before the 2026 World Cup. This will result in 17.5 miles of completed mainline BeltLine trail, and 16.3 miles of continuous trail. Currently, nine segments of the mainline trail are under construction, representing 85% of the project either completed or under construction. The design for all segments of the 22-mile loop will be finalized by year-end.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership collaborated with multiple partners on construction on this section of the trail. Partners include Atlanta Public Schools, City of Atlanta Department of Transportation, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, City of Atlanta Planning Department, Fulton County, Georgia Department of Transportation, Invest Atlanta, PATH Foundation, Special Service District Investors, Trees Atlanta, Kaizen Collaborative, and ASTRA.
Lead philanthropic support to complete the full BeltLine trail corridor comes from The James M. Cox Foundation and Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc.
Media assets can be downloaded here. Photos from the groundbreaking can be found here.
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About Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.’s vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life. As one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States, the Atlanta BeltLine is building a more socially and economically resilient Atlanta with our partner organizations and host communities through job creation, inclusive transportation systems, affordable housing, and public spaces for all. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.
Media Contacts:
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Office of Communications and Media Relations
100 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 2300, Atlanta, GA 30303
Keona Swindler, Media Relations Manager
(706) 358-2979, kswindler@atlbeltline.org
Rachel Tobin, TobinInk
(404) 276-5930, rachel@tobinink.com
