An all-ages crowd packed under a tent to watch the Atlanta Beltline open its final segment of southeast trail in Glenwood Park on April 16.
It will mark the first time Atlantans can walk or ride their way on a paved path from Piedmont Park to Grant Park.
“This is drawing circles, not lines,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.
The ribbon-cutting officially opened Segments 4 and 5, which will connect the trail to Glenwood Park, Grant Park, Ormewood Park and Boulevard Heights. It completes the Southeast Trail, a 2.5-mile segment from Krog Street Tunnel to Boulevard Southeast.
It also brings the Beltline to a completed 14.8 miles of the 22-mile loop on track for 2030 completion.
Dickens said that another segment of the Beltline will open by early June, bringing the path to 18 miles of connected trail in time for the FIFA World Cup. He called it another step for a “more connected and accessible” Atlanta.
Longtime locals like Park Pride President Michael Halicki have been waiting for the Beltline to officially reach their area. He said he’s looking forward to going on walks in his own neighborhood.
The new trail segment is also adjacent to Parkside Elementary School and Maynard Jackson High School, the second Atlanta public school located directly on the Beltline. Dickens and officials said the segment will boost safety, especially for students taking the path to get to school.
Some of those students packed onto the pavement, bikes in hand, to watch the segment officially open on April 16. Many were already riding before the ribbon was even cut.
“What I love about all the ribbon cuttings on the Beltline is by the time we cut the ribbon, they’ve already been using it,” Dickens said.
The event wasn’t just packed with families. A small cohort of demonstrators also arrived; members of advocacy group Beltline Rail Now! held up signs while Dickens spoke. The group’s chair Matthew Rao said it was an exciting day, and the advocates wanted to “celebrate.”
But he still pushed the city to bring light rail alongside the new paved stretch.
“Build the trail, then build the rail,” Rao said.
