The Northwest Trail is a critical quadrant of the Atlanta BeltLine loop connecting from the area of West Marietta and Huff Road over to the Northeast Trail and the Armour-Ottley commercial district and the Lindbergh MARTA station. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc’s (ABI’s) engineering, real estate, and economic development teams collaborated with the PATH Foundation on the alignment study of the Northwest Trail.
The original vision for the Atlanta BeltLine trail depended on acquiring abandoned and under-utilized rail corridors that formed three-quarters of a circle around the urban core of Atlanta. The northwest quadrant of the BeltLine has no such abandoned rail corridor available and, therefore, is one of the most complicated sections to deliver.
The Northwest Trail Feasibility Study was presented to the community on May 12, 2022, with the exception of one segment that required further study. The Northwest Trail Feasibility Study can be downloaded here (15 MB PDF). During a community meeting in August 2022, ABI and PATH announced the full length of prioritized alignments with the Northwest Trail Feasibility Study Addendum.
ABI published a separate Request for Qualifications to study transit alignments in fall 2022, which will be funded through a Federal Transit Authority grant.
Project Status
This project is now complete. For design and construction status, visit our Northwest Trail updates webpage.
The Northwest Trail was divided into western and eastern study areas and evaluated based on feasibility of acquiring real estate and ease of construction as well as the quality of the trail user experience, equity, and community feedback. The corridor options were then prioritized by most to least feasible, also taking into consideration the long-term benefits for the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
The eastern study area, divided into two segments, focused on connecting the future Northeast Trail in the Amour-Ottley commercial district, through Peachtree Hills, and to the Northside Trail by Bobby Jones Golf Course. Segment 1 will run between Peachtree Park Apartments and Kinsey Court. Segment 2 will run alongside Peachtree Park Drive and Bennett Street to connect with the Northside Trail at Bobby Jones Golf Course.
The western segments of the Northwest Trail alignment begin at the southern end of the Northside Trail in Ardmore Park and will traverse a portion of Tanyard Creek, under I-75, across Northside Drive, alongside the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant and Howell Mill Road to reach the northern end of the Westside Trail at Huff Road and Marietta Boulevard. The corridor has been divided into Segments 3, 4 and 5 for implementation, totaling 2.8 miles.
Project Timeline
Last Updated: March 10, 2023
