A fresh Atlanta BeltLine segment expected to improve or unlock off-street mobility for several intown neighborhoods will officially open in about three weeks.
The first ribbon-cutting for a new BeltLine section this year is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 1, according to project leaders. The ceremony will take place on the recently installed Northeast Trail Segment 2, located behind the Publix grocery at Ansley Mall.
Once Segment 2 is finished and open, the Northeast Trail will span 1.2 miles, with all lighting, landscaping, and security cameras the first finished section of the trail formerly lacked.
With its multiple street access points, the Northeast Trail’s initial two segments are expected to function as a protected link into Midtown, via Piedmont Park, from neighborhoods such as Piedmont Heights and the Armour district, near SweetWater Brewing Company’s longtime home.
BeltLine leadership reports that Segment 2 has reached “finishing touches” stage, with work continuing on guardrails and handrails along a new ramp installed at Piedmont Avenue. (Ditto for railings on a bridge section over the Buford-Spring Connector roadway.) Per a site visit Saturday, the recently poured trail sections remain fenced and off-limits to the public.
Yellow represents the initial completed section of the BeltLine's Northeast Trail, stretching from Ansley Mall to almost Interstate 85. The next phase of work, now open, is shown in dotted blue.Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
At the north end of Segment 2 nearest the Lindbergh area, construction continues on a sidewalk at Mayson Street that will serve as a BeltLine connection point, requiring a retaining wall. That’s expected to wrap up in January and won’t hinder the mainline trail from opening, according to Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
Workers will continue to add landscaping along Segment 2 throughout the winter, finishing in the first quarter of 2024, per the BeltLine. (The first completed segment, which opened in 2021, now includes an “instant forest” planted by Trees Atlanta.)
Accessing Piedmont Park via the new Northeast Trail segment will be somewhat tricky for the foreseeable future, requiring travel on a gravel path.
The northernmost section of Segment 1 is claiming the so-called Carriage Trail, a park access point through woods near Atlanta Botanical Garden. Construction to replace the Carriage Trail’s cracked asphalt and the removal of select trees is fully underway, per the BeltLine.
The Northeast Trail's Segment 1 (in purple) is being implemented in three phases; the recently opened Carriage Trail is at top. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
Another point of interest—a planned bridge project connecting the backside of Ansley Mall to the Northeast Trail—has not yet established a construction schedule, according to BeltLine officials.
The Northeast Trail’s Segment 2 broke ground in May last year.
Once finished, the full Northeast Trail promises to be a handy off-street link between Midtown and the Lindbergh (aka Uptown) area, in addition to places like the Cheshire Bridge Road corridor. Along the way, it passes the 1960s-era mall, Ansley Golf Course, and a tunnel under I-85.
As shown in August, concrete has been installed behind Ansley Mall and neighboring commercial properties, with a ramp complete between the new trail and Piedmont Avenue. Photo by John Becker; via Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
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