The World Cup's effectiveness as a construction deadline appears to be paying dividends again.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and BeltLine president and CEO Clyde Higgs have announced the last gap of unbuilt Southside Trail—Segments 2 and 3—will begin construction sooner and open faster than previously expected.

The opening is now scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, instead of June that year.

Should that goal be achieved, 17.9 miles of continuous BeltLine would be open in time for Atlanta’s full month of FIFA 2026 World Cup matches. That tally counts more than 16 miles of mainline trail and the Westside BeltLine Connector, a downtown link finished in 2021.

The tightened construction schedule is being called part of the City of Atlanta’s efforts to prep for millions of World Cup visitors, with each of eight matches expected to have an impact comparable to a Super Bowl.

The first section of the BeltLine's Northwest Trail—a link between the Westside and Buckhead—is also expected to be built and open in time for Atlanta's monthlong soccer brouhaha. 

Having so much contiguous BeltLine open for use—just four miles would remain to be built—is forecasted as being a “historic moment” for the city, according to today’s announcement. All 22 miles of the mainline trail are on pace to be finished by 2030, linking together 45 intown neighborhoods.   

Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

“We wanted to announce this construction plan as early as possible so that the neighborhoods and small businesses along the trail can maximize the opportunity that FIFA will bring,” said Higgs in a prepared statement. “This will be a momentous milestone for us. To have more than 16 continuous miles of mainline trail completed of our 22-mile loop will be a gamechanger.”

The Southside Trail’s Segments 2 and 3 span 1.9 miles from, at the western end, Pittsburgh Yards in Southwest Atlanta to Boulevard, just south of Zoo Atlanta.

In between, the trail will provide an off-street route under the 16-lane Connector freeway and an active freight and vehicle intersection at McDonough Boulevard, which is located near Carver High and Slater Elementary schools. One of the first BeltLine greenspaces, D.H. Stanton Park, is located along that route.

With 16.3 miles of the main loop finished, BeltLine officials note that 36 neighborhoods will be linked together via the Northwest, Westside, Southside, Eastside, and Northeast trails.

Getting World Cup visitors onto the BeltLine—and showing it off—sounds like a chief goal of city and project officials. 

The aforementioned Westside BeltLine Connector trail is just a half-mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where World Cup matches will be played. And the Westside Trail’s entry point at Washington Park is 1.6 miles from the stadium, which officials note is one of the nearest BeltLine entry points to downtown.

BeltLine officials recently reported that a low bidder has been approved to build the Southside Trail’s final two segments, and that construction is slated to kick off in late spring this year, backed by millions in federal funding expected to cover 80 percent of construction costs.

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