City officials cut the ribbon on the Beltline’s Westside Segment 4 Trail at a sweltering June 23 ceremony, celebrating 6.7 miles of continuous Beltline locals can walk, run and bike — the longest uninterrupted length of trail to date.
“From Pittsburgh Yards, you can go play Top Golf and come on back,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dicken said. “That’s crazy that in Atlanta you can do that.”
On June 23 officials opened Segment 4 of the Beltline’s Westside Trail, a 1.3 mile portion that connects previously disjointed paths. It’s the end result of a two-phased approach, with the first piece opening last fall and the second part opening at the ceremony.
“If you can imagine, two years ago I remember the mayor and I literally doing the groundbreaking ceremony for this segment of Beltline,” Beltline President and CEO Clyde Higgs said. “This feels really good, because a lot of folks said that this couldn’t be done.”
The open trail brings the Beltline closer to its goal of a 22-mile trail loop by 2030 with 11 miles of connector trails. At the ceremony, Higgs said almost 17 miles of the Beltline will be ready by summer 2026 in time for Atlanta to host eight FIFA World Cup matches.
It will also help boost the city’s ongoing efforts to invest in Atlanta’s Westside.
The Eastside Beltline has transformed the surrounding area with new businesses, hotels and housing. Local leaders see the new Beltline segment as a push for the rest of the city.
“It’s about investing in areas that have been overlooked and creating access to opportunity,” District 3 Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett said. “To housing, to transportation and to greenspace, while ensuring our legacy residents have places to live and our seniors are able to stay in their homes.”
The new corridor runs along Washington Park, with a Beltline entrance running through the park itself. The neighborhood first emerged around 1917 as one of the city’s planned Black suburbs and a thriving space for the African American middle class. The park was Atlanta’s first designated recreational space for African Americans, with an original pool, dance hall, pavilions and community gatherings.
Making the park the “gateway” for the Westside trail was intentional, drawing eyes to the historic area. To accompany the new segment, city leaders also unveiled a new historical sign with a market to commemorate the area’s enduring legacy and significance.
Board President of The Conservancy at Historic Washington Park Christi Jackson said the sign represents the “true narrative of Washington Park and the historic Westside.”
“For 106 years, Washington Park has existed as a cultural, historical and recreational base for the African American community,” Jackson said.
Now the new segment will knit together neighborhoods and make material and symbolic change. The Beltline aims to create hundreds affordable housing units along the path, continuing its goal of creating or preserving 5,600 units by 2030.
“This segment showcases the trail as a simple and cohesive way to bring the various areas of our city closer together, encouraging all of us to enjoy the great outdoors,” Jackson said.
