Fear not, Krog Street Tunnel enthusiasts: The Atlanta BeltLine’s new graffiti squad isn’t coming for your favorite tribute to Homer Simpson or Donald Duck. 

But for the foreseeable future, days will be numbered for profane scrawlings and tags on and near paved the paved multi-use trails, according to Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The agency conducted the first phase of a pilot program between Feb. 28 and March 1 meant to spruce up all finished, paved BeltLine trails and assist City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation crews.

The BeltLine hired graffiti removal specialists with Sun Brite Services for what’s described as a thorough cleaning of all retention walls, guard rails, and light poles on Eastside and Westside trails last week.

The work is being funded as part of City of Atlanta legislation passed last summer that allocated an additional $16 million annually for park improvements.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The pilot program for BeltLine graffiti removal is expected to run though summer 2025.

According to BeltLine officials, Sun Brite Services will continue to perform graffiti sweeps on a weekly basis to keep graffiti levels tamped down on completed trails.

The company has also agreed to “address profane and emergency graffiti removal” within two days of reports being filed, per ABI.

Notably, the removal work will exclude painting zones that have long been established as beacons for muralists, graffiti writers, and others expressing themselves through visual art. Those spaces include the Krog Street Tunnel and the Eastside Trail area beneath John Lewis Freedom Parkway.  

Example of commissioned art meeting graffiti on the BeltLine's Westside Trail. Shutterstock

City officials urge Atlantans to report graffiti or other maintenance issues to the ATL311 system.  

“As we continue to build out the 22-mile loop, the task of maintaining this public amenity is ongoing,” said BeltLine CEO and president Clyde Higgs in an announcement this week. “My team is actively exploring innovative ways to ensure that the BeltLine is maintained in a way that our grandchildren will [appreciate with] this city treasure.”

A relatively tag-free section of the Eastside Trail as pictured several years ago. Shutterstock

...

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Before/after: Atlanta BeltLine's famous Eastside Trail turns 10 (Urbanize Atlanta)