Historic milestone reconnects 36 neighborhoods across Northwest, Westside, Southside, Eastside and Northeast corridors through completion of Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3

ATLANTA, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Atlanta Beltline marked a historic milestone today, celebrating the completion of nearly 17 miles of continuous mainline trail. The opening of Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 connects 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 City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who also serves on the Atlanta Beltline, Inc board. "For the first time, 36 neighborhoods 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 neighborhoods 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 Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc. "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."

Delivering the Southside Trail

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 neighborhoods. 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 $31 million in funding, including grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation's RAISE program, Carbon Reduction Program funding administered through the Atlanta Regional Commission and Congressionally Directed Spending. Through the support from the U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, U.S. Representative Nikema Williams, as well as many federal, state, local and philanthropic partners, the Beltline accelerated completion of Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026™, as Atlanta prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors for the eight World Cup matches.

Atlanta Beltline "The U": By the Numbers

1. 16.7 miles of paved mainline Beltline trail creating "The U," the longest uninterrupted stretch the project has ever delivered
2. 10.3 miles of connector trails, including 1.6 miles of the Westside Beltline Connector Trail
3. Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 stretch 1.9 milesfrom Pittsburgh Yards on University Avenue in southwest Atlanta to Boulevard in southeast Atlanta
   1. 12 neighborhoods directly connected to the completed Southside Trail
   2. 4 Atlanta Public Schools served by the completed Southside Trail
   3. $31M+ in federal funding invested
   4. 147.4 acres of soil remediation completed to date
4. 4.7 remaining miles of the 22-mile loop scheduled for completion by 2030
5. 2.5 million visits to the Beltline annually
6. 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
   1. Over 700,000 native plants, including grasses and wildflowers, were planted along the corridor by Trees Atlanta
7. 270+ households enrolled in the Legacy Resident Retention Program
8. Nearly 800 arts events and installations, making the Beltline Atlanta's largest outdoor cultural destination

Twenty Years of Beltline Impact

Over the last two decades, the Atlanta Beltline has become one of the nation's most ambitious and comprehensive urban redevelopment projects, delivering new parks and trails, affordable housing, public art, and economic opportunity that have transformed communities across Atlanta. Under the leadership of President and CEO Clyde Higgs, the Beltline has accelerated trail delivery, expanded affordable housing investments, advanced equitable development initiatives, and secured critical federal, state, local, and philanthropic funding to advance construction. The completion of Southside Trail Segments 2 + 3 marks one of the most significant milestones in the project's history and brings Atlanta closer to realizing the full 22-mile Beltline vision.

Along the way, the Beltline became the world's longest linear arboretum, planted in partnership with Trees Atlanta, the Southeast's largest outdoor temporary art exhibition, spurred the creation of thousands of affordable housing units, implemented tax relief for longtime homeowners and created economic development programs supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.

A recent Beltline analysis shows that for every dollar of public money invested in the Beltline so far – $941 million – the result has been 15 dollars in private investment – or $14.2 billion – leading to 91,000 jobs sustained by the trail's economic ecosystem.

From Vision to Reality

In 1999, the Beltline was envisioned as a 22-mile transit loop by Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel, who proposed connecting four historic freight rail lines. Local grassroots, non-profit, and neighborhood leaders helped build broad support for greenway trails, parks, affordable housing, streetscape improvements and additional elements of what became the Beltline vision. He rallied support from Mayor Shirley Franklin and Former City Council President Cathy Woolard who worked with Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County, and City Council to create long-term tax funding to support Beltline implementation. With Mayor Franklin's prioritization of the project, she turned to the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) for private-sector leadership.

Other early champions included The PATH Foundation, which helped advance plans for a connected trail network and provided expertise in trail development, design, and fundraising that helped turn the vision into reality.

The Beltline acquired the land necessary to construct "the U" over time through 130+ individual real estate transactions.

Funding for Beltline construction primarily comes from public sources through the Beltline Tax Allocation District, supported by Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County and the City of Atlanta, along with Beltline Special Service District investors. Funding was also provided by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Other partners include the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, City of Atlanta Department of Transportation, City of Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County, Georgia Department of Transportation, Invest Atlanta and Trees Atlanta.

Major philanthropic support for trail construction is led by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and the James M. Cox Foundation. Other philanthropic investors include Georgia Power, Kaiser Permanente, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Kendeda Fund.

For a complete history of the Atlanta Beltline, visit here. Media assets are available here.

About Atlanta Beltline

The Atlanta Beltline is the 22-mile rail-to-trail project that is transforming Atlanta's neighborhoods, one mile at a time. The Beltline's vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life. With an additional 11 miles of connector trails, the Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States. In partnership with local communities and organizations, the Beltline is building a more socially and economically resilient Atlanta through job creation, inclusive transportation systems, affordable housing, vibrant public spaces, and community-focused programs that promote health and wellness, resident retention, volunteerism, and advocacy along the corridor. Atlanta Beltline, Inc. is the official implementation agency for the Atlanta Beltline and collaborates with Atlanta Beltline Partnership, the foundation that raises private and philanthropic funds and delivers community programs that are fully supported by donor contributions. For more information, please visit www.beltline.org or follow on social media at @atlantabeltline.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atlanta-beltline-reaches-a-transformational-milestone-twenty-years-in-the-making-as-17-miles-of-continuous-mainline-trail-delivered-302804866.html

SOURCE Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.