City of Atlanta and nonprofit officials Friday celebrated the completion of the 0.7 mile Woodall Rail Trail, the first segment in Atlanta of a path that will connect the Beltline to what will become the longest continuous paved trail in the United States.
The $2.4 million pedestrian and bike trail was mostly funded by state and federal grants, with matching funds from the Upper Westside Community Improvement District and in-kind donations from the PATH Foundation.
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Two more segments will be built north to the Whetstone Creek Trail, connecting to the Silver Comet Trail in Cobb County, which crosses two other counties to link up with the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama. When finished, the trail network from Cobb County to Anniston, Alabama, will total 94 miles, not including the Atlanta connector or the Beltline.
“Taking this all the way to the Silver Comet trail will get you all the way to Alabama,” Mayor Andre Dickens said, “you know, but come back.”
The new segment begins at Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard and Elaine Avenue, where the Northwest Beltline is wrapping up construction this year, Dickens said. It ends at The Works, a mixed-use development on Chattahoochee Avenue.
It follows Woodall Creek, a tributary of Peachtree Creek, and provides access to 14 acres of urban forest in a community that has pushed for more green space.
Local property owners donated the land, Upper Westside CID Executive Director Elizabeth Hollister said. Monuments and murals by local artists dot the trail. Tracks from the old Silver Comet rail line are still visible alongside it.
The area is a hotbed of new development, including apartment buildings whose residents have already begun using the trail. Runners and a toddler on a balance bike passed behind the gathered officials.
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PATH Foundation, which builds trails throughout metro Atlanta, has managed the Silver Comet project in Atlanta and Cobb. Senior project manager Pete Pellegrini thanked Dickens and the City Council for their support.
“We’re going to make you the trailiest mayor,” he told Dickens.
Volunteers with Trees Atlanta and Groundwork Atlanta helped remove invasive species and restore 7 acres of forest. Markers along the trail highlight native flora — such as spicebush, sassafras and yellow root — and fauna, including turtles and beavers. Another 7 acres of forest still need restoration, Trees Atlanta Executive Director Greg Levine said.
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Officials aim to complete the next 1.4 miles connecting to the Silver Comet at the Chattahoochee River by next year’s World Cup, District 9 Councilman Dustin Hillis said.
“This will open up incredible opportunities for recreation, transportation and community building, giving residents and visitors alike more ways to explore a beautiful city,” Hillis said.
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