Beltline’s Westside Trail, Eastside extension to open this summer

It’s shaping up to be one hot summer for Atlanta Beltline enthusiasts.

Two long-awaited Beltline projects — the three-mile Westside Trail and a 1.25-mile extension of the popular Eastside Trail — are on schedule to debut late this summer, according to an Atlanta Beltline Partnership newsletter distributed this week.

Work on the Eastside project, considered Phase 1, has been humming along on Wylie Street and through the Krog Street Tunnel. Installation of ADA-accessible ramps is ongoing, and plans are being laid for a traffic-calming “pedestrian scramble” where Krog Street meets DeKalb Avenue.

Once funding had been secured, the Eastside Trail extension broke ground last summer. It’ll bring the trail from its current end-point at Irwin Street in Old Fourth Ward to Kirkwood Avenue in Reynoldstown.

Beltline officials say upcoming work will include the installation of speed tables at both Irwin Street and Kirkwood Avenue. Expect temporary street closures.

Phase II will extend the trail from Kirkwood Avenue to Memorial Drive once funding is secured, officials said.

Atlanta Beltline

Meanwhile, on the western front, several additional sections of concrete have been poured in recent months, while tree plantings have begun. The installation of stairs, retaining walls, ramps, and ponds is ongoing.

The Westside Trail broke ground in November 2014 and has always been slated to open this year, though some recent projections put its debut in the fall and not this summer.

In a project update on the Beltline’s website, officials say the Westside Trail has remained on track despite “wild weather conditions, unexpected underground infrastructure, and a burst of other development projects demanding resources around the city.”

Atlanta Beltline

• Analysis: Atlanta’s hottest 2017 neighborhoods all near Westside Beltline [Curbed]