Construction has begun on a new section of the Atlanta Beltline’s Northwest Trail in Buckhead, taking the city closer to completing its planned 22-mile loop.
Atlanta Beltline officials and city leaders marked the start of work on Segment 2A on October 22. The 0.3-mile stretch will run from the south-eastern corner of Bobby Jones Golf Course along Colonial Hills Circle to the north-eastern end of a Georgia Power substation.
Once complete, it will link the existing Northside Trail with the Northwest Connector Trail, creating a new connection between the Collier Hills North and Colonial Homes neighbourhoods.
New Atlanta Beltline trail will connect Buckhead communities
The project will include a 14ft-wide multi-use path, an elevated section of trail and a pedestrian bridge. Plans also provide for lighting, security cameras, new landscaping in partnership with Trees Atlanta, storm drainage and other safety improvements.
A temporary route will give walkers and cyclists access to Peachtree Road while the remaining parts of the Northwest Trail are built. New pedestrian signals are planned to make crossings safer.
The route is intended to improve access to major employment and healthcare centres, including Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and the Shepherd Center, as well as other services in the Buckhead area.
Clyde Higgs, president and chief executive of Atlanta Beltline Inc, said the project would help connect people with jobs, healthcare, shops and other essential services.
“We’re not just building trails,” Mr Higgs said. “We’re investing in infrastructure that improves quality of life, expands economic opportunity and strengthens neighbourhoods.”
Unlike much of the Beltline, the Northwest Trail is not being built along a former railway corridor. The organisation has spent more than two years acquiring land for the route, including 3.2 acres around Peachtree Road intended to support the trail and future development.
Segment 2A is expected to be completed by early 2028. The wider section will be delivered in stages, with Section C, running from Peachtree Road to Peachtree Park Apartments, scheduled to begin construction in early 2027.
Section B will require a new Georgia Department of Transportation bridge over Peachtree Road, but no construction timetable has been announced for that part of the project.
The full Northwest Trail will eventually stretch 4.3 miles from Blandtown to the Lindbergh and Morosgo neighbourhoods. Atlanta Beltline officials expect the wider 22-mile mainline loop to be completed by 2030.
