Visuals, timeline emerge for first Beltline trail with direct MARTA access

Exactly how the 22-mile Atlanta Beltline loop’s first direct link to a MARTA train station will look and function is coming into sharper focus.

The Oakland City MARTA station + Murphy Connector Trail (or the “Oakland + Murphy Connector Trail” for short) is planned to branch off the Beltline and boost access to transit, beginning just south of the Lee + White district. 

The forked connector trail will span a total of 1.31 miles in the Oakland City and Capitol View neighborhoods, extending off the Southside Trail’s Segment 1 access point near Allene Avenue and junction of the Westside Trail (now called the Southwest Trail).

Those blocks are witnessing a groundswell of hundreds of homes under construction today, with another 20 acres of adjacent development in revised planning stages at the Beltline’s Murphy Crossing as well, among other projects.  

According to Beltline officials, the Oakland + Murphy Connector Trail project will be much more extensive than simply concrete or expanded sidewalks between the mainline Beltline and MARTA’s Oakland City station. 

Designs compiled by the Martin Rickles Studio calls for a number of playscapes and plazas, a variety of safe crossings at intersections and crosswalks, and a small forest of native Georgia plantings. 

One .86-mile trail section will provide an off-street, direct link to the MARTA station from the Beltline. It will start at Allene Avenue, cross over Sylvan Road, and end at the MARTA hub. 

The other .45-mile trail section will run between two important properties owned by the Beltline, including Murphy Crossing, before ending at Murphy Avenue.

The spur trail would also run next to a 9-acre industrial site called Avon the Beltline owns. 

Plans for the Moving Atlanta Forward project are 60 percent completed now but on schedule to be fully designed and finalized by mid-August, according to the Beltline’s presentation. 

Construction is expected to kick off in late 2026 or early 2027 and finish by mid-2028, according to the Beltline’s timeline. Landscaping would continue through the winter months of that year. 

The connector trails will each be 12-feet wide with two-foot soft shoulders. Security cameras, lighting, connections to adjacent streets, storm drainage with green infrastructure, and more components will be included, Beltline leaders have said. 

The spur project first came to light in October 2024, when Beltline officials opened the Request for Qualifications process to find qualified design and engineering firms. 

The broader goal is to provide mobility options and more equitable access from MARTA to the popular, growing multi-use trail loop.

In the gallery above, find visual highlights from the recent Atlanta Beltline Inc. presentation on the Oakland + Murphy Connector Trail project. 

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