Two years after construction mobilized, Atlanta Beltline Inc. has cut the ribbon on a project that links together the city like no other Beltline section. It also includes some of the most unique features (see: the long, historic train tunnel) of any trail to date. 

Beltline leadership and city officials gathered Friday to officially open the 1.9-mile Southside Trail—Segments 2 and 3, creating what project leaders have dubbed “the U.” That’s 16.7 miles of the continuous, mainline Beltline loop, running from south Buckhead around to Southwest Atlanta and up to Blandtown, near Atlantic Station.  

Following Friday’s opening, only relatively small mainline Beltline trail gaps in and near Buckhead remain to be finished. 

Approaching the McDonough Boulevard train tunnel—sure to become one of the most iconic features of the 22-mile BeltLine loop. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

New staircase and entry to The Beacon, a southside adaptive-reuse warehouse district with shops and restaurants. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The U links together seven different sections of the 22-mile Beltline oval—the Northwest, Westside, Southwest, Southside, Southeast, Eastside, and Northeast corridors—and provides a connection to 36 different neighborhoods and numerous Atlanta Public Schools facilities, per officials. 

The final, completed Southside Trail section stretches from Boulevard (just south of Zoo Atlanta) west to McDaniel Street at University Avenue, next to the Pittsburgh Yards complex. Southside Trail construction was funded with state, local, and philanthropic money, alongside more than $20 million in federal contributions that Beltline leaders have called “catalytic.” 

Find a tour of the Beltline’s newest digs—the second major opening of 2026 to date—in the gallery above.

For additional perspective, have a look at our photo essay from 2018 showing the state of Southside/Southeast Trail corridors before the Beltline started work. 

Beltline Southside Trail Segments 2 and 3 (highlighted in blue) were the final missing links for a massive "U" of trails that covers much of intown. Atlanta Beltline Inc.

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