Despite a few setbacks, a long-awaited, multi-use trail project that will provide an off-street connection between the BeltLine and several eastside neighborhoods is still aiming to open in coming months, PATH Foundation officials tell Urbanize Atlanta.
After breaking ground in July, the Eastside Trolley Trail between Reynoldstown and Kirkwood has reached roughly the one-third mark of finished construction, according to Pete Pellegrini, PATH’s project manager.
“Weather and the holiday season have reduced some of the construction volume, but the contractor continues to make excellent progress,” Pellegrini wrote in an email this week.
The trail veers slightly north where Arkwright Place meets Vannoy Street, as shown earlier this year. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Though rains and unusually frigid temps have delayed some aspects of the schedule, Pellegrini said construction officials remain optimistic they can still meet the original goal of substantial completion by this spring.
Extending the existing Trolley Trail sections from Gilliam Park in Kirkwood to Flat Shoals Avenue in Reynoldstown will bring to fruition PATH Foundation plans that have been percolating for nearly 30 years.
But a particularly tricky section remains ahead where Arkwright Place meets Whitefoord Avenue in Edgewood. That’s where throngs of taqueria El Tesoro patrons commonly stand in line to place orders—and park their cars.
“The contractor thinks [construction] will be in front of El Tesoro at the end of February,” Pellegrini said. “This will be one of the more challenging sections of the project.”
A small gap around Moreland Avenue will remain until it's included in a Georgia Department of Transportation project where Arkwright Place meets that busy corridor. GDOT plans to install a dedicated signal for pedestrians and cyclists at Moreland Avenue, officials have said. No additional details on when that might happen were available this week.
Pellegrini commended Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari and her office for community outreach efforts “to make sure we’re addressing the questions or concerns that might stem from neighbors or other stakeholders” as the Eastside Trolley Trail moves forward.
An updated map showing the scope of Eastside Trolley Trail construction that broke ground in July, along with future links toward other trails. PATH Foundation
For anyone coming from the BeltLine, the trail starts in a former Reynoldstown vehicle lane on Arkwright Place, a couple of blocks from the Eastside Trail (for now). When finished, it’ll run eastward through Edgewood, and connect with existing PATH sections that were installed prior to the 1996 Olympics as the project's initial phase.
The trail's name is a nod to the historic Atlanta-Decatur trolley car line that once snaked through eastside streets between Cabbagetown and Agnes Scott College.
The finished project will provide a nearly two-mile route for non-drivers from the doorstep of Kirkwood’s downtown, along Hosea Williams Drive, back to the BeltLine.
Pedal up to the gallery for a quick photo tour of where the project stands today.
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