Longest segment of Beltline to date opens on west side

Atlantans who live or visit the west side of the city’s iconic Beltline can now travel 6.8 miles of uninterrupted trail from Pittsburgh Yards to Huff Road — marking the completion of the longest segment of the loop to date.

The newly constructed 1.3-mile pathway took more than two years to complete and honors some of the city’s most historic communities.

The segment runs along Washington Park, which is home to one of Atlanta’s first planned Black suburbs, and through neighborhoods whose streets honor civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Joseph E. Boone and Joseph Lowery.

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“From Pittsburgh Yards, you can go play Top Golf and come on back — that’s crazy that in Atlanta, you can do that,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. “This trail segment connects Washington Park to Hunter Hills to Bankhead — it’s going to connect everybody.”

The first-term mayor said he recognized residents in that area of the city were skeptical if the Beltline would ever touch their communities and spark development like it has on the city’s east side.

“Kids can walk safely to school, families can spend time together outdoors, folks can get to jobs and shops without worrying about a vehicle,” he said. “This is what we mean to move Atlanta forward with purpose and vision.”

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

Around 85% of the full 22-mile Beltline loop is either completed or under construction. The recently ramped-up timeline is part of a massive effort to finish paving 18 miles of the loop before the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Despite uncertainty around federal funding, earlier this month Atlanta Beltline, Inc. passed its largest-ever budget for fiscal year 2026: $242 million. The budget takes aim at trail construction and the organization’s affordable housing goals. Revenue from the Beltline Tax Allocation District makes up around 75% of the total budget.

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“A lot of folks said that this couldn’t be done, that we couldn’t figure out the funding, all the various challenges, but we are here,” said Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc. “It really is about connecting people at the end of the day.”