The first phase of the Eastside Trail extension is underway! The phase currently under construction expands from Irwin Street to Kirkwood Avenue, and is expected to be completed in 12 months. Construction has started and the trail is now closed to the public. When funding is available, construction will begin on Phase II, which goes from Kirkwood Avenue to Memorial Drive.

The first two miles of the Eastside Trail opened in 2012, connecting Piedmont Park with Old Fourth Ward & Inman Park. More than 1.3 million people used the trail in 2015, and this stretch adds about a mile to bring the trail through Reynoldstown. The construction on this phase includes the clearing of trees and brush on the sides of the existing hiking trail. By the time the trail is completed, more trees will be planted than were removed, including 150 along Wylie Street alone.

Detailed design plans are available in our office, but generally, the trail will follow the old rail corridor until just before Dekalb Avenue, where it will continue down Gunby Street and then through Krog Tunnel by way of Dekalb Avenue. That intersection will feature a pedestrian/traffic scramble to improve the safety of trail users. The trail will then continue down the north side of Wylie Street until meeting the corridor again just before Flat Shoals Avenue.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2017. We know you are as excited as we are to see the progress, but please respect the gates and the closure as it is an active construction zone and heavy equipment is moving in and out of this area.

For the most up-to-date information about progression on the Eastside Trail southern extension, follow the Atlanta BeltLine on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and the Eastside Trail southern extension construction page on beltline.org