On the heels of an eventful 2021, when about three and ½ miles of new BeltLine trails opened in neighborhoods across Atlanta, the Westside is sporting a fresh recreation and transportation option in the form of cured concrete.
The newest Atlanta BeltLine section, situated mostly alongside Marietta Boulevard, is a roughly 1-mile portion of the Westside Trail known as Segment 3.
If you’re heading west, the new multi-use path branches off the Westside BeltLine Connector—a 1.7-mile link to downtown Atlanta—swoops right, and heads north toward Huff Road near shopping and dining districts west of Midtown. It’s a means of getting from downtown to the edge of Atlanta’s largest greenspace, Westside Park, albeit not fully connected yet.
BeltLine spokesperson Jenny Odom tells Urbanize Atlanta that Segment 3 work is nearing completion—except for a section spanning active railroad tracks between West Marietta Street and Huff Road.
“We’re on hold for permits and work by the city,” Odom wrote via email in early February. “Hopefully, we’ll have that [final section] underway in the next few months.”
Once finished, the joint effort by the BeltLine and PATH Foundation will span just shy of 1.3 miles, reducing Marietta Boulevard traffic lanes from five to three and installing a concrete buffer and leafy arboretum between cars and pedestrians and cyclists. Construction started about this time last year.
Like the Westside BeltLine Connector, the segment is considered a critical link that could help web BeltLine access out in several directions: west to Grove Park and the Proctor Creek Greenway; northwest to the Silver Comet Trail in Cobb County; and north to an existing BeltLine section in Buckhead near Bobby Jones Golf Course.
Pardon the rainy February weather, strap on a mental raincoat, and pedal up to the gallery for more context and a look at where the BeltLine’s latest paved section stands today.
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