A short but important BeltLine piece that’s expected to improve Westside connectivity and a link to Atlanta’s largest greenspace is making visible progress this summer.

A team effort by the BeltLine and PATH Foundation, Segment 3 of the Westside Trail will span just shy of 1.3 miles, reducing Marietta Boulevard traffic lanes from five to three and installing a concrete buffer and leafy arboretum between cars and pedestrians and cyclists.

Construction started at the end of last winter and is expected to wrap in the first quarter of 2022. Concrete has been poured along a majority of the route in recent weeks.

The Marietta Boulevard trail segment will work as an extension of the new Westside BeltLine Connector, a 1.7-mile route to downtown Atlanta. It will also help link downtown to sprawling Westside Park, which is opening its first phase this week.

The new segments are intended, eventually, to web BeltLine access out in several directions: west to Grove Park and the Proctor Creek Greenway; northwest to the Silver Comet Trail in Cobb County; and north via Huff Road to an existing BeltLine section in Buckhead near Bobby Jones Golf Course.

If trying to picture that makes your head spin, head to the gallery for a quick breakdown and photo tour. There you’ll find an update on where construction stands today and how this latest BeltLine piece is expected to look and function soon.

Where a key BeltLine connection for eastside neighborhoods stands now (Urbanize Atlanta)