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

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

By Sean Richard Keenan@ThatSeanKeenan Jul 1, 2019, 9:34am EDT

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

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.

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.

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.