The Atlanta Beltline has marked a historic milestone, celebrating the completion of nearly 17 miles of continuous mainline trail.
The opening of Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 connect two sides of the Beltline – east and west – creating the longest completed continuous trail section open to date. Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Beltline, Inc. president & CEO Clyde Higgs, elected officials and community members cut the ribbon on the segments, acknowledging the giant milestone for the City of Atlanta.
The Atlanta Beltline now has 16.7 continuous mainline trail miles of the 22-mile loop open for trail users, along with another 1.6-mile via the Westside Beltline Connector Trail. This milestone comes as the Beltline celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking one of the project’s most significant accomplishments since its inception in 2005.
“Today’s celebration is more than just an opening of another section of the Atlanta Beltline,” said Dickens, who also serves on the Atlanta Beltline, Inc board.
“For the first time, 36 neighbourhoods are connected by nearly 17 continuous miles of trail, bringing people together one mile at a time. This is one of the most significant milestones in the Beltline’s history and a powerful example of what Atlanta can accomplish when we dream big and work together.”
Informally known as “The U,” the open mainline Beltline trail now stretches from Armour Yards in Northeast Atlanta down along Piedmont Park, Boulevard Crossing Park, Chosewood Park, Pittsburgh Yards®, Lee + White, Washington Park, Shirley Clarke Franklin Park and up to Blandtown in Northwest Atlanta. The completion of Segments 2 + 3 creates the longest continuous stretch of Beltline mainline trail to date, reconnecting 36 neighbourhoods across Northwest, Westside, Southside, Eastside, and Northeast Atlanta and marking a major step toward realizing a vision first established more than 20 years ago.
“Twenty years ago, the Beltline was an ambitious vision. Today, nearly 17 continuous miles of trail reconnect communities across Atlanta, bringing that vision to life in ways few could have imagined,” said Higgs.
“This milestone, achieved during our 20th anniversary year, reflects the determination and belief of residents, public partners, philanthropic investors, and the Beltline team who have worked together to create a more connected, equitable, and vibrant city. We are grateful to everyone who has helped advance what I often call ‘the People’s Project.”
The newly completed Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 stretches 1.9 miles from Pittsburgh Yards on University Avenue in southwest Atlanta to Boulevard in southeast Atlanta, connecting Pittsburgh, Capitol View Manor, High Point, The Villages at Carver, Peoplestown, South Atlanta, Chosewood Park, Englewood Manor, and Boulevard Heights neighbourhoods. More than 20 Atlanta Public Schools, including T.H.Slater Elementary School, Carver Early College High School, and Barack and Michelle Obama Academy, are located along the entirety of the 16.7-mile “U.” The segments connect to the Southeast Trail, which opened in April 2026.
Construction required extensive environmental remediation, passage beneath sixteen lanes of the I-75/85 connector and coordination with local, regional, state, and federal transportation agencies.
Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 were designed by Kimley-Horn and constructed by Reeves Young. United Consulting served as environmental consultant, with Winter Construction leading environmental remediation efforts and Taft Law providing environmental stewardship legal services.
Additional project partners included Brooks Berry Haynie (electrical engineering), International Pools (stone and concrete work), Coastal Metals (railings and stainless steel fabrication), and MC2.
The project was supported by more than $31m in funding.
The 4.7 remaining miles of the 22-mile loop, which sees 2.5m visits annually, are scheduled for completion by 2030.
The trail contains the world’s longest linear arboretum, linking to more than 400 acres of parks with more than 647 unique tree and woody shrub species and cultivars. Over 700,000 native plants, including grasses and wildflowers, were planted along the corridor by Trees Atlanta. Also, nearly 800 arts events and installations make the Beltline Atlanta’s largest outdoor cultural destination.
A recent Beltline analysis shows that for every dollar of public money invested in the Beltline so far – $941m – the result has been 15 dollars in private investment – or $14.2bn – leading to 91,000 jobs sustained by the trail’s economic ecosystem.
