Beltline officials are looking to buy two miles of Westside railroad property

Atlanta Beltline CEO Brian McGowan might have just a few weeks left at the helm of the popular multi-use trail project, but he doesn’t seem to have intentions of being a lame duck before heading to Seattle for a new economic development job.

Beltline officials have made clear they’re eyeing a two-mile stretch of railroad property on the city’s Westside to purchase for another pathway expansion, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.

At the end of June, CSX Transportation filed a notice with the federal surface transporation board, indicating its intention to abandon the “Kudzu Line,” which links Westside neighborhoods such as Washington Park, Howell Station, and Knight Park, according to the paper.

McGowan told the publication he’d like to secure this segment of the path to-be before he packs up and ships out in mid-August.

Once procured—and before workers can start pouring concrete—the Kudzu Line could be uses as a temporary hiking trail.

In March, CSX sold the city another, larger railroad corridor that’s slated to host the Beltline’s Southside Trail. The deal yielded 63 acres to the Beltline for $26 million in TSPLOST funds.

And on July 2, construction kicked off to extend the Eastside Trail again in Reynoldstown.

Two miles might seem like an insignificant part of piecing together the planned 22-mile Beltline loop, but the purchase of the Westside arc would mean that just four miles of railroad corridor are left to acquire.

• Atlanta Beltline officials seek to acquire a new two-mile segment in Westside [ABC]