The Beltline project is getting closer to extending its southern terminus after years of delay. That means in the slightly less vague-and-distant future pedestrians and cyclists will be able to travel almost continuously from Piedmont Park all the way to Memorial Drive. The deadline to submit bids to build that extension was Oct. 13, and Beltline officials won't say how many companies threw their hats in the ring until a builder is selected. The review process for the proposals hasn't been completed, so no definitive timeline is available either, but behind the scenes, it sounds like the Beltline is definitely making headway.

While Beltline officials could not comment this week on the specifics of proposals or the project timeline, they did confirm that funding has been secured for the extension project, and they have procured the portion of rail line where construction would take place. Whether the project has an all-at-once construction plan or rolling construction, which would open up new segments as they are completed, the goal is for the extension to finish in 18 months — once it launches.

Right now, the Beltline has an open Request for Qualifications to finalize the design for the Southside Trail. The deadline for those RFQs is Nov. 12, and the design process for that corridor will occur in tandem with Eastside Trail construction, officials said. One of the first tasks listed for the Southside Trail design team is re-envisioning an extension from Memorial Drive to Glenwood Avenue.

If all goes according to plan (we can dream, can't we?) the current extension and the design will be done by the middle of 2017.

· Beltline's Eastside Trail Extension Shows Signs of Life[Curbed]

· SOUTHSIDE CORRIDOR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING RFQ [Atlanta Beltline]

· Hurray! Beltline Seeks Designers for 4-Mile 'Southside Trail' [Curbed]