en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Atlanta BeltLine achieved a full connection of nearly 17 continuous miles of its mainline trail on June 18, 2026, with the opening of the Southside Trail Segments 2&3, linking the East and West sides to form the longest continuous trail segment in the project's history. Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs, elected officials, and community members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Currently, 16.7 miles of continuous mainline trail on the Atlanta BeltLine are open to the public, with an additional 1.6 miles of the Westside Beltline Connector Trail within the full 22-mile loop. This milestone coincides with the 20th anniversary of the BeltLine's launch, marking one of the most significant milestones since the project began in 2005.
Mayor Andre Dickens stated that 36 neighborhoods are connected for the first time by nearly 17 continuous miles of trail, representing one of the most important milestones in BeltLine history and a testament to what Atlanta can achieve through collaboration. The open mainline trail, informally called the "U-Line," now extends from Armour Yards in northeast Atlanta, through Piedmont Park, Boulevard Crossing Park, Chosewood Park, Pittsburgh Yards, Lee + White, Washington Park, Shirley Clarke Franklin Park, to Blandtown in the northwest, reconnecting 36 neighborhoods across northwest, westside, southside, eastside, and northeast Atlanta.
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs noted that two decades ago, the BeltLine was just an ambitious vision, and today nearly 17 continuous miles of trail have reconnected communities, thanks to the collective efforts of residents, public partners, philanthropic investors, and the BeltLine team.
The Southside Trail Segments 2&3 span 1.9 miles, extending from Pittsburgh Yards at University Avenue in the southwest to Boulevard in the southeast, connecting neighborhoods including Pittsburgh, Capitol View Manor, High Point, The Villages at Carver, Peoplestown, South Atlanta, Chosewood Park, Englewood Manor, and Boulevard Heights. Over 20 Atlanta Public Schools are located along the entire 16.7-mile "U-Line," including T.H. Slater Elementary School, Carver Early College High School, and Barack and Michelle Obama Academy, with these sections linking to the Southeast Trail opened in April 2026. Construction involved extensive environmental remediation, crossing the 16-lane I-75/85 Connector, and coordination with local, regional, state, and federal transportation agencies. The segment was designed by Kimley-Horn, constructed by Reeves Young, with United Consulting as environmental consultant, Winter Construction leading environmental remediation, Taft Law providing environmental management legal services, and other project partners including Brooks Berry Haynie, International Pools, Coastal Metals, and MC2.
The project received over $31 million in funding, sourced from the U.S. Department of Transportation's RAISE grant, Carbon Reduction Program funds administered through the Atlanta Regional Commission, and Congressionally Directed Spending. With support from U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff, Reverend Raphael Warnock, Representative Nikema Williams, and numerous federal, state, local, and philanthropic partners, the BeltLine accelerated completion of this trail segment ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
"U-Line" data includes: 16.7 miles of paved mainline trail, 10.3 miles of connector trails (including 1.6 miles of Westside Beltline Connector Trail), 1.9 miles of Southside Trail Segments 2&3, directly connecting 12 neighborhoods, benefiting 4 public schools, with over $31 million in federal funding invested, 147.4 acres of soil remediation completed, and the remaining 4.7 miles of the 22-mile loop planned for completion by 2030. The BeltLine welcomes 2.5 million visits annually, serves as the world's longest linear arboretum, connects over 400 acres of parks, features more than 647 unique tree and woody shrub species and varieties, and has over 700,000 native plants planted along the corridor by Trees Atlanta. Over 270 households have joined the Legacy Resident Retention Program, and nearly 800 art events and installations make the BeltLine Atlanta's largest outdoor cultural destination.
Over the past two decades, the Atlanta BeltLine has become one of the most ambitious urban redevelopment projects in the United States, delivering new parks and trails, affordable housing, public art, and economic opportunities. The completion of Southside Trail Segments 2&3 brings Atlanta closer to the full 22-mile BeltLine vision. The BeltLine has become the world's longest linear arboretum (in partnership with Trees Atlanta), the largest outdoor temporary art exhibition in the southeastern United States, and has facilitated the creation of thousands of affordable housing units and tax relief for long-term homeowners. The latest analysis shows that for every $1 of public funds invested in the BeltLine ($941 million), $15 in private investment ($14.2 billion) was generated, with the trail's economic ecosystem supporting 91,000 jobs.
In 1999, Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel proposed a 22-mile loop connecting four historic freight rail lines. With support from Mayor Shirley Franklin and former City Council President Cathy Woolard, Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County, and the City Council collaborated to create long-term tax funding. The PATH Foundation helped advance the connector trail network plan. The BeltLine acquired land for construction through over 130 separate real estate transactions, funded primarily from public sources through the BeltLine Tax Allocation District, with support from the Atlanta Regional Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Major philanthropic support is led by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and the James M. Cox Foundation, with other philanthropic investors including Georgia Power, Kaiser Permanente, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and the Kendeda Fund.
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