Beltline officially seeks builder for tricky section, crucial connectors

What’s long been considered one of the most complex sections of Beltline trail to build is officially moving toward its years-long construction process. 

Atlanta Beltline Inc. has released an Invitation to Bid that seeks construction firms capable of building Northeast Trail—Segment 3 and its web of four connector trails in south Buckhead. 

The federally funded project calls for 2.8 total miles of trails (equivalent to the Beltline distance between Piedmont Park and Breaker Breaker restaurant, for context) across the Armour/Ottley district and Lindbergh/Uptown areas in northeast Atlanta. 

The connector trails will provide key links from the main Beltline loop to MARTA’s Lindbergh station, Buckhead’s PATH400 trail system, the Armour-Ottley commercial district (with attractions such as SweetWater Brewing Company and Painted Pickle), and various public streets. 

According to Beltline officials, the project will mark the final major segment of the Northeast Trail to enter construction, closing a gap over Peachtree Creek and active CSX and Norfolk Southern railroad corridors. It calls for construction of two truss-style bridges, along with sections that pass under MARTA rail and Interstate 85. 

Beltline officials expect construction of Segment 3 and its connector pieces to take—brace for it—three and ½ years to finish. 

“This segment is one of the most complex parts of the Beltline 22-mile corridor,” Kim Wilson, the Beltline’s vice president of design and construction, said in a recent announcement. 

“Unlike most of the corridor," said Wilson, "this portion of the Northeast Trail does not follow abandoned railroad lines and traverses an area of Atlanta where interstate highways, state routes, active freight rail, MARTA rail, and regional trails converge.”

The project breakdown looks like this, per a Beltline overview: 

• Construction of the mainline Northeast Trail will include .7 miles of primarily elevated multi-use trail on structures. (That will extend from Segment 2 at Mayson Street to Kinsey Court, where it will connect to Northwest Trail—Segment 1, where a new Peachtree Creek bridge is being torn down and reassembled after issues were detected.)

• Connector Trail 1 – Kinsey Court to Garson Drive (.8 miles)

• Connector Trail 2 – Garson Drive to MARTA Lindbergh Center station (.5 miles)

• Connector Trail 3 – PATH400 trail (.2 miles)

• Connector Trail 4 – Armour Drive to Ottley Drive (.6 miles)

The project in 2023 was awarded a $25-million U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, marking the largest federal grant in Beltline history. 

Nearly $17 million in additional federal funds through the Atlanta Regional Commission Transportation Improvement Program have also readied the project for construction. 

Once finished, Segment 3 and its connector trails will link together several neighborhoods—Piedmont Heights, Sherwood Forest, Peachtree Hills, Lindbergh, Lindbergh City Center, Brookwood, and Brookwood Hills among them—while connecting nearby areas to Piedmont Road employment centers and transportation. 

According to the Beltline’s official tally, 13.6 miles of the 22-mile Beltline mainline trail have been delivered to date, along with 10.3 miles of connector pathways.

Another 1.2-mile section of the main Beltline—the Southside Trail's Segments 4 and 5, between Glenwood Avenue and Boulevard—is scheduled to officially open a week from Thursday.  

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