Northeast BeltLine Trail may soon enter Buckhead

By Evelyn Andrews

The Atlanta BeltLine may soon extend into the southeast portion of Buckhead. Plans for that portion of the trail, called the Northeast Trail, were presented at a public meeting July 13.

The Northeast Trail would be the second segment of the BeltLine to be built in Buckhead following the completed Northside Trail near Piedmont Hospital.

BeltLine planners propose working with Georgia Power Co. to pave an existing interim hiking trail from Ansley Mall in Midtown to Mayson Street, just past I-85 on the Buckhead border.

The trail would cross the Buford-Spring Connector on an existing rail bridge and pass through an existing tunnel under I-85. Room for a future streetcar rail is planned to run along the trail.

The trail would be part of the larger BeltLine plan, which proposes a loop of 22 miles of streetcar route, 33 miles of multi-use trail and 2,000 acres of parks, according to the BeltLine website. It utilizes existing rail tracks that encircle the inner part of Atlanta.

Most of the multi-use trail has not been built yet, and none of the streetcar routes have been built. The streetcar route will eventually be an expansion of the existing Atlanta Streetcar, which runs Downtown.

The BeltLine is not being built in a linear way, with each segment connecting directly to the one before it. Instead, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. builds segments as real estate opportunities come up. In this case, the opportunity is planned Georgia Power work along the Northeast Trail route. Planners intend for the various trail segments to connect eventually, and to connect to other trails, such as PATH 400 in Buckhead.

There are currently three completed BeltLine trails: the Eastside Trail, which begins at Piedmont Park and runs through Old Fourth Ward past Ponce City Market, the Westside Trail, which has partly opened, and the Northside Trail in Buckhead, a one-mile trail running from Memorial Park through Tanyard Creek Park.

The BeltLine already has secured $600,000 in federal funding for the Northeast Trail, which runs from Monroe Drive on the south to Lindbergh on the north, but it is not enough money to fund the entire project. The meeting held on July 13 was only about work that will be done on a segment of the Northeast Trail, from Ansley Mall to Mayson Drive.

Another part of the Northeast Trail around the Lindbergh area that will connect the Northside Trail to the Eastside Trail is slated to go into construction between 2019 and 2023, according to BeltLine documents.

On the west side of the Northside Trail, progress will be slower because parts of the rail corridor is still used by trains, and may not be constructed until 2024-2030, according to documents.

BeltLine officials are trying to seize an opportunity to have some of the work facilitated this fall by Georgia Power as it replaces power infrastructure on the “Hairpin Line,” a row of power line poles so named because the poles look like hairpins.

During Georgia Power’s work, the company will level the ground, possibly remove train tracks and pave that segment of the trail for the BeltLine, depending on what can be negotiated, Ray Strychalski, the landscape architect working on the project, said at the meeting held at Rock Spring Presbyterian Church. The tracks, no longer used, are part of the 22 miles of train line right of way planned as part of the BeltLine.

The contractor working on designs and construction for this segment of the trail is Kimley-Horn. The contract may be extended to complete the portions on either end of this segment, including the portion that extends from Mayson Street to Armour Drive, which would extend the BeltLine into an area of Buckhead being redeveloped with breweries, distilleries and nonprofits, officials said at the meeting, which about 50 people attended.

It likely will require another two years before officials begin planning for the segment into the Lindbergh area, officials said.

Chris Iverson, an Ansley Mall area resident, said he is excited about the prospect of having the trail begin earlier than expected, and is looking forward to having a paved trail to make bicycling easier.

Matt Moreland, a Lindbergh area resident, said he is happy to hear trails closer to him may move forward, and he hopes BeltLine officials are able to reach an agreement with Georgia Power.

“I hope they get it all worked out and some progress can happen soon,” he said.