UrbanizeAtlNewsBot

UrbanizeAtlNewsBot

Development process for new Beltline section officially moves forward Josh Green Wed, 10/30/2024 - 16:58 A short but important piece of the Atlanta Beltline loop has officially kicked off its long process of design and development, project officials relayed today.

Atlanta Beltline Inc. has opened the solicitation process for design of a section in West End called Westside Trail—Segment 6, which is currently an abandoned and cleared rail corridor just north of the Lee + White warehouse district.

Beltline officials describe the .6-mile section as a “pivotal” link between existing Westside Trail sections in former rail corridor that currently end at Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Lawton Street, leaving a gap.

The deadline for firms to reply to the Beltline’s Statements of Qualifications request for lead design and engineering is Dec. 5.

“By closing the gap with Segment 6, we’re creating pathways of opportunity, ensuring all Atlantans can enjoy access to this vital part of the trail,” Kimberly Wilson, the Beltline’s vice president of design and construction, said in today’s announcement.

Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The design phase is scheduled to last through early 2026. Beltline officials are aiming to complete the project in 2027, with landscaping work to follow the opening, according to a recent project update.

The 14-foot-wide, multi-use trail will include bells and whistles found with other Beltline sections, including the popular Eastside Trail.

Soft shoulders beside the paved pathway, lighting, security cameras, a fiber duct bank, stainless steel handrails and guardrails, and drainage components with a focus on green infrastructure, among other aspects, will be included, per project leaders.

The gap in paved, in-corridor trail has existed (and confounded some first-time users) since the three-mile, $43-million Westside Trail debuted seven years ago. It’s required Beltline patrons to exit the Westside Trail corridor and zigzag up and down ramps and follow an adjacent sidewalk path to continue using the Beltline.

The paved Segment 6 will create a much straighter and simpler protected route. It will run between the 1295 West Apartments (formerly Donnelly Gardens) and a large warehouse and office structure where Lee + White owners Ackerman & Co. are planning to build out another 208,000 square feet of mixed uses. A large pickleball concept is scheduled to open at that building in coming months.

Base image via Ackerman & Co.

Beyond Segment 6, the full 5.6-mile Westside Trail’s completion is on the horizon.

The biggest remaining gap—a 1.3-mile section between Bankhead and Historic Westin Heights, down to the western edge of Washington Park—remains largely under construction.

Beltline leaders say that piece, Segment 4, is on pace to open in the second quarter of next year. It will include a direct (and relatively flat) link into downtown via the Westside Beltline Connector trail.

Location of Westside Trail—Segment 6 on the 22-mile mainline loop. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

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