NEW: Atlanta buys unused railroad for $5.1 million as part of Beltline expansion

Atlanta purchased a stretch of unused railroad that will connect the city’s Westside residents to downtown areas of the Beltline.

The $5.1 million property extends from Joseph E. Boone Boulevard to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, officials announced in a press release. The three-quarter mile trail would connect Vine City and English Avenue residents to the Beltline.

City officials purchased the property from the Bethursday Development Corporation, architectural and planning agency on Northside Drive.

The purchase is a part of the Atlanta Beltline’s Westside expansion and was funded as part of the 2016 transportation special purpose local option sales tax.

According to the release, the trail would also connect Northside Drive to the recently purchased “Kudzu Line,” which will provide access to the Bankhead MARTA station — the Green Line’s western terminus — and Maddox Park. In that transaction, the city bought a 1.8 mile stretch of  land from train giant CSX using $6.3 million in transportation tax funds. (Credit: Atlanta Beltline)

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“The Atlanta Beltline and its partners are paving the way for a more unified and accessible Atlanta,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in the release. “This purchase advances the goal of connecting everyone in the city with growth and opportunity.”

According to the release, the trail would also connect Northside Drive to the recently purchased “Kudzu Line,” which will provide access to the Bankhead MARTA station — the Green Line’s western terminus — and Maddox Park. In that transaction, the city bought a 1.8 mile stretch of  land from train giant CSX using $6.3 million in transportation tax funds.

Officials said the newly purchased Westside trail will be a “critical link” to job centers and other developments, including the future Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry.

The trail would also connect the Beltline to existing PATH Foundation trails that lead in to downtown Atlanta.

— Staff writer Ben Brasch contributed to this story