Construction on the Southside trail of the Beltline is officially underway after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and project leaders broke ground on the new 1.2 mile section.
Once completed, the paved trail will connect the Glenwood Park and Grant Park neighborhoods, from Glenwood Ave to Boulevard.
“Today, we’re taking another step closer to making a complete beltline a reality,” Dickens said at the event Monday. “I know that community leaders and business owners on the Southside and also on the Westside have waited a while for this construction that will close the loop on the Atlanta Beltline.”
The newest segment of the Southside trail is expected to be completed in spring of 2025, followed by the beginning of construction on the final portions that fall. To date, nearly 16 miles of the Beltline has been built and paved.
Clyde Higgs, president and CEO Atlanta Beltline Inc., said 80% of the Beltline will be complete or under construction within the next two years.
“Once this segment of Southside trail for the Beltline is completed, you’ll be able to continuously ride a bike, walk from Boulevard all the way to the Piedmont Park,” Higgs said. “That’s game changing for us.”
Southeast Atlanta community leaders highlighted the importance of the project as a way to connect communities — particularly Black neighborhoods — previously isolated by the construction of Interstate 20.
“Many were permanently displaced, but the aftermath of construction left most of South Atlanta on what felt like an island,” said Councilman Jason Winston, who represents the area. “Today, we celebrate the bridge that will finally connect southeast Atlanta to the rest of the city.”
The Southside trail expansion also aims to create safer routes between schools like Parkside Elementary and Maynard Jackson High School.
Construction on the entirety of the Atlanta Beltline is expected to be done by 2030.
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