Like quarterbacking, it’s easy to be armchair urbanists when you’re not in the trenches of construction each day. 

But as Atlanta Beltline Inc. leadership and city dignitaries gather Thursday to officially cut the ribbon on the most highly anticipated and functional new trail in years, the fact remains that it took nearly three years—and a year longer than initially anticipated—to build a 1.2-mile, multi-use section in southeast Atlanta. 

In any case, at least the full Southeast Trail (this part was formerly called Southside Trail Segments 4 and 5) has arrived, as hundreds of “Keep Out”-sign-ignoring Atlantans are observing on a daily basis right now. 

Consistent patronage along the new Southeast Trail, as seen looking south from Glenwood Avenue during a pleasant evening this week. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

View southward along the newest Southeast Trail segment from the Berne Street bridge linking Ormewood Park and Grant Park. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The project officially started construction in June 2023, back when it was expected to be finished in spring last year. It didn’t take long to encounter hiccups. Unexpected hurdles involving underground utilities at United Avenue wiped out the Beltline’s earlier goals of having the trail open by last spring, summer, and fall. Spates of frigid weather including freezing rain earlier this year were blamed for more recent delays.  

A ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday will mark the official end of Southeast Trail construction. It's a two and ½-mile mainline section that stretches from Krog Street Tunnel to Boulevard Southeast, according to Beltline officials. 

Beyond neighborhood connectivity, the newest project—designed by Kimley-Horn engineers and constructed by Reeves Young—will create safer routes to school for students at Parkside Elementary and Maynard Jackson High School, which is now just the second Atlanta public high school to be situated directly on the Beltline, per officials. 

Some aspects of work still aren’t quite finished, including railing on a steep United Avenue ramp, which is expected to wrap by month’s end, per the most recent Beltline construction update. 

The 1.2-mile section of mainline Beltline in question, now open. Courtesy of Atlanta Beltline Inc.

The Argos Apartments, at left, were finished several years ago in anticipation of Beltline access, as seen looking north this week from the Berne Street bridge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Southeast Trail links together four neighborhoods (Glenwood Park, Grant Park, Ormewood Park, and Boulevard Heights) while bumping up the Beltline’s finished mainline trail count to 14.8 miles. 

The remaining unfinished Southside Trail—where construction has been in hyper-speed, by comparison—is scheduled to be finished by June, adding almost another two miles and linking western and eastern Beltline portions together at last. 

Find a photo preview of the fresh Southside Trail in the gallery above, and here’s a quick broader overview of where construction stands now: 

Courtesy of Atlanta Beltline Inc.

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