Photos: How new Beltline-linked pathway is coming together

Following several years of planning, fundraising, and construction, a connective multipurpose trail dubbed “The Spur” has arrived. It’s just not technically open yet.

Snaking for about ¾ of a mile in Howell Station, the Westside Paper Spur Trail extends north from the Westside Beltline Connector, providing a protected multi-use trail link between downtown and hundreds of residences and new businesses along the West Marietta Street corridor.

But despite its barricade-free appearances, The Spur remains under construction and isn’t open to the public, according to Pete Pellegrini, PATH Foundation project manager.

“The contractor is in some of the final stages of construction and believes this segment should be open by the year’s end,” Pellegrini wrote via email this week.

That would mean The Spur is delivering ahead of schedule. Initial projections when the project broke ground in March forecasted the trail’s opening as late as May next year.

Approaching the recently installed 65-foot-long bridge in the Howell Station neighborhood. Contributed photo

At the south end, The Spur starts where the Westside Beltline Connector meets Joseph E Lowery Boulevard. It passes directly next to the Puritan Mill district, expanded QTS data center facilities, and the new mixed-use Westside Paper district—a remake of 1950s warehouses—before ending near King Plow Arts Center.

In between, a 65-foot-long bridge that’s necessary for steep topography between properties has also been installed.

The Spur is considered a collaborative effort between the City of Atlanta, Upper Westside Community Improvement District, and PATH. Adjacent property owners donated all of the necessary easements for trail construction, according to project leaders.

The Spur has been on the radar of Atlanta alternate-transportation enthusiasts since 2020, when business owners, stakeholders, and nearby residents pinpointed it as a priority for boosting the area’s multimodal infrastructure. The Upper Westside CID also incorporated the trail into its Upper Westside Masterplan that year.

How the new Westside Paper Spur Trail passes behind the mixed-use district (at left) of the same name today, with QTS' expanded data center at right.Contributed photo

The Spur may seem open, but it's technically closed to the public for now, per PATH Foundation officials. Contributed photo

The Upper Westside CID hopes to eventually expand the pathway so that it ties into the Brady Avenue cycletrack and the mainline Beltline loop, located just to the west, officials have said. The CID group picked Hasbun Construction to build The Spur following a public bidding process last year.

Funding for The Spur was sourced from the $750-million Moving Atlanta Forward program approved by voters two years ago, the Howell Station Neighborhood Association, the Upper Westside CID, and other sources.

Greta DeMayo, PATH executive director, has called The Spur part of a project portfolio her agency is aiming to deliver by 2026 to improve off-street connections and vibrancy around the city.

Head up to the gallery for a quick tour (via reader-submitted photos) of The Spur’s current construction progress—no pedaling required.

PATH Foundation/Upper Westside CID