BeltLine construction to bring road closures

Staff Reports

Eastside Trail construction continues on the Atlanta BeltLine and that will lead to a pair of upcoming road closures in the immediate area. The Eastside Trail project spans more than two miles from the tip of Piedmont Park to Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods.

The first closure comes this week as a stretch of Ralph McGill Boulevard between Freedom Parkway and Ashley Avenue (near Copenhill Lofts, Freedom Heights Lofts and Block Lofts) will be closed for 30 days beginning on Wednesday.

This is because a new bridge over Ralph McGill Blvd. will be installed next to the old bridge that previously carried freight rail. According to BeltLine officials, drivers should anticipate only minor disruption, and appropriate signage will clearly indicate detours for through traffic.

The second closure will occur closer to Midtown as a stretch of Ponce de Leon Avenue between Ponce de Leon Place and the Midtown Place shopping center (across from Ponce City Market) will be closed from March 23 through 26 and again from March 30 through April 1.  

This will be due to the Ponce de Leon Bridge being remediated, retrofitted and repainted as part of the construction. Beginning the weekend of March 25, the bridge will be raised off of its existing abutments to arrange for construction.

The closures will start at 9 p.m. on Friday evening and will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday morning. Road signs will be in place two weeks before the closures to alert drivers on Ponce de Leon Ave. 

While the bridge is raised, crews will install decking and scaffolding to protect cars and pedestrians, remove old paint, prime the metal, and repaint it. The bridge will then be fitted with unobtrusive security fencing as required by the Georgia DOT.

Additional weekend closures can be expected to lower the bridge and complete construction of the Eastside Trail. Public notification will occur several weeks before construction.

When work is concluded on these two critical bridges, the projected completion date for the Eastside Trail from 10th Street and Monroe Drive to Irwin Street and Lake Avenue is slated for this summer.

The Eastside Trail is the next major component of the Atlanta BeltLine slated to open to the public. This project includes a 14-foot wide multi-use concrete trail for walking, running, biking and skating, as well as a significant amount of underground infrastructure to accommodate current and future utilities. It also includes retaining walls, landscaping and the preservation of right of way for the transit system that will be built in the future.

The Eastside Trail is the first part of the trail system to be built within the old rail corridor, which will eventually connect 45 neighborhoods. For more information, please visit eastsidetrail.beltline.org for updates.