News that the Atlanta Beltline has landed a $600,000 federal grant should be welcomed as a positive development. However, it remains to be seen exactly what that means for Beltline patrons hungry for more room to spread out, or commuters looking for links to more key roads. The grant, as the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports, will be spent on "cleanup efforts" along the northeastern section of the 22-mile corridor, from Monroe Drive to its terminus near Buford Highway. How far will those funds stretch? And will they speed the laying of concrete? Rail?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the grant last week. It comes during an important month for the Beltline; the project will be featured during the biannual National Brownfields Conference this week at the Georgia World Congress Center. Beltline officials see the conference as one big opportunity to showcase the project for a national audience.

Most talk lately has concerned the Beltline's southward extension, as laid out in detail by Beltline officials. This weekend, a visual and totally uneducated check of the north Piedmont Park expansion would suggest that area is close to being open to the public, and the Beltline's route cuts right through it. Two cents: Wouldn't it be nice to see the Eastside Trail lengthening from both ends?

· Beltline wins federal grant [Atlanta Business Chronicle]

· Recent, savory Beltline coverage [Curbed Atlanta]