Officials: Beltline link from Midtown to Buckhead could happen by 2020

Walking, running, or biking new Atlanta Beltline segments from Piedmont Park to the district around SweetWater Brewery—and possibly beyond—could be a reality much sooner than previously thought.

Atlanta Beltline officials unveiled a presentation this week that predicts part of the Northeast Trail could be built and open to the public in 2020.

That’s pending a lot of design work and some unknowns regarding both local and federal funding, as Reporter Newspapers relays today.

The four-mile Northeast Trail, when finished, will link with the roughly three and a half mile Eastside Trail (where negotiations are underway to stretch the popular path to Memorial Drive). That would mean roughly eight miles of eastside Beltline, linking Lindbergh’s MARTA Station to Reynoldstown.

A Request for Qualifications will soon be distributed, per the Beltline, to secure a contractor for Northeast Trail design work. We’ve asked Beltline officials for a copy of the RFQ but were told the documents aren’t public yet.

The Northeast Trail would be the longest Beltline section to move forward to date, and it’s execution sounds rather complicated. The visuals below could bring the multifaceted plans more sharply into focus.

Let’s begin with a tentative outlook for the Beltline section beside Piedmont Park, which begins at Monroe Drive (where the Eastside Trail terminates now) and ends near Ansley Mall. This is the southernmost of three Northeast Trail segments.

Heading north of Piedmont Park, we find the section where Georgia Power’s plans for upcoming infrastructure work—and news of a possible Beltline partnership—made a splash last summer by accelerating Beltline timelines in this area.

The newspaper reports that Beltline designs for this segment are nearly complete, save for some fine-tuning, and should be made public in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Georgia Power will begin grading and clearing the area this spring to install new power poles in the fall—work that should allow the Northeast Trail to be built in the same corridor.

The power company expects to finish work in spring 2019, and Beltline officials say the trail could be open late the following year.

ABI

On this same segment, see three potential access points that could deliver Beltline patrons to Ansley Mall shopping options, as well as businesses and homes north of Interstate 85 (located at right below).

Atlanta Beltline/Kimley Horn

As seen in 2014, tracks run under Interstate 85 North. This will be part of the Northeast Trail, where it leaves Midtown and Ansley Park and enters Buckhead.

Curbed Atlanta

Below is a tentative outlook for the Beltline piece that would break away from future transit and worm through the area near SweetWater Brewery, and then up to Lindbergh.

ABI

ABI officials say work on the trail segment that would link to Lindbergh MARTA Station—and PATH400, which provides access to the Lenox Square area—is at least two years from launching construction.

An interesting note, as the newspaper reports, is that all future Beltline pieces will debut with cameras and lighting installed.

• Northeast Trail presentation [Atlanta Beltline Inc.]
• Beltline projects 2020 completion date for trail that enters Buckhead [Reporter Newspapers]