Atlanta breaks ground on another segment of the Beltline

ATLANTA — Atlanta’s historic Beltline, a 22-mile loop connecting neighborhoods across the city, reached another milestone on Monday.

City leaders broke ground on the first phase of the Northwest Trail.

The trail begins at the intersection of Marietta Boulevard and Huff Road and it will connect with the Westside Trail segment 3.

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the trail will also tie into other regional trails.

“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. This segment will also tie into planned regional trails like the Silver Comet Trail and the Chattahoochee River Trail,” said Dickens.

Dicken said by 2026, before the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, 17 miles of connected trails will be completed, and 85% of the Beltline will be completed or under construction.

City officials say the Beltline, and development surrounding it, is one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the U.S., possibly even the world.

“The whole globe is watching Atlanta to see if we can pull off this five-billion-dollar infrastructure redevelopment program. We are literally teaching other cities how to do equitable redevelopment and infrastructure,” said Atlanta Beltline President and CEO Clyde Higgs.

Higg said the organization has approved a $172 million budget to move forward with the completion of the Beltline and the construction of more affordable housing around the loop.

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“The original goal for housing affordability was 5,600 units by the end of 2030. We are now on track to do over 7,000 units of affordable housing on the Beltline. That’s 30 percent above our target goal,” said Higgs.

People who live near the new segment of the Beltline, say they are excited that construction will soon be underway.

“How convenient. We can walk down the street and literally right here, cross over, and get on the Beltline. We will have ways to walk instead of taking a car. Hopefully, retail and restaurants will want to come,” said neighbor Peter Schorsch.

The first full section of the Northwest Trail is expected to take 17 months.

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