clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Atlanta Beltline's Eastside Trail is (finally) complete and open for business

New, 101 comments

Enjoy walking, cycling, or scooting from Reynoldstown to Midtown without leaving the paved path

a picture of the Eastside Trail at Kirkwood Avenue
The Eastside Trail, as seen from Kirkwood Avenue last month, before construction fencing was removed.
Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta

At long last, the final leg of the Atlanta Beltline's Eastside Trail has wrapped construction and is open to the public.

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for July 11, but, as of this past weekend, construction fencing is nowhere to be seen. Walkers, cyclists, and all other patrons have found themselves at home on the freshly paved path that stretches from Kirkwood Avenue down to Memorial Drive, in Reynoldstown, lending multiuser path access to a whole new section of the city.

The opening means non-motorists can now travel from Memorial Drive, where new development abounds on projects such as Madison Yards and Atlanta Dairies, to Piedmont Park without leaving the trail.

The Eastside Trail, as seen from Memorial Drive on Sunday.
Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

It’s been nearly seven years since the first piece of the Eastside Trail—from Irwin Street to Monroe Drive—opened to the public. A bit more work remains to be done before officials can deem it totally finished.

For example, light fixtures have yet to be installed along the Eastside Trail’s original arc. The bidding process is now underway for that project.

Additionally, a few kinks have to be ironed out where the Beltline meets Memorial Drive.

Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

Roughly a dozen metal plates line the intersection of the Eastside Trail and Memorial now, where a pedestrian scramble is slated to be installed.

Beltline officials told Curbed Atlanta recently they’d been waiting on Georgia Department of Transportation permits to finish remaining roadwork at the corner of Memorial and Bill Kennedy Way, but they opted to complete the trail first and leave the remaining construction for later.

For now, have a look at Atlanta’s latest Beltline-related installments below.

Mauldin Street runs beneath the newly opened Beltline trail, with a connecting spur between the two.
Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta
The Memorial Drive intersection as Beltline construction wrapped.
Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta
Beyond the Eastside Trail corridor, a wide path crosses Memorial Drive and heads south.
Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta
The path continues south down Bill Kennedy Way, alongside Fuqua’s Madison Yards development. Works remains before it’s fully connected to Glenwood Park and what will be the Beltline’s Southside Trail.
Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta