Atlanta BeltLine's Southside Trail on track to be ready for FIFA World Cup – SaportaReport – SaportaReport

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Atlanta officials announced at an April 24 press conference that they’re ahead of schedule on the Southside BeltLine Trail — the completed portion will create 17.9 miles of continuous paved trail ready by early 2026. 
The 1.9 miles of Southside Trail stretching from Pittsburgh Yards in southwest Atlanta to Boulevard in southeast Atlanta were originally scheduled for June 2026 completion, but the timeline has moved up to the first quarter of 2026. 
Now, the “J” piece of the BeltLine will be ready for the millions of visitors headed towards Atlanta for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Atlanta will host eight matches including a semi-final. 
“You are about to see your dollars at work delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, to be able to have what we call the ‘J’ to get you from Piedmont Park all the way over to the west side, to Washington Park up to Westside Park,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. 
The trail construction is funded largely by the Atlanta BeltLine Tax Allocation District, but the shortened timeline is possible thanks to additional federal funds. 
“Because of what’s happened locally, with our special service district, our funding from our federal partner, the philanthropic community and also the growth of the Tax Allocation District, the BeltLine is in a strong position to complete the entire 22-mile loop by the end of 2030,” BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs said.
In 2023 the United States Department of Transportation awarded a $25 million grant, the largest federal grant in the BeltLine’s history for parts of the Northeast Trail through President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” initiative.
“This remarkable trail of roughly 20 miles, I believe, is a trail of opportunity, inclusion, and development,” White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez said. 
The advisor said many infrastructure projects from the prior generation often divided communities, but equity-focused development like the BeltLine learned from the past and “brings communities together.”
BeltLine CEO Higgs said the development is done with the local community in mind. The finished 22-mile loop will connect 45 Atlanta neighborhoods and increase pedestrian traffic for small businesses along the trail. 
“Imagine being able to jump on a bicycle or a scooter, or if you’re ambitious, you literally will be able to walk from Piedmont Park all the way to Washington Park on the Westside,” Higgs said. 
Officials promoted the BeltLine as an alternative to cars for visitors and locals alike, but the future of transit on the trail system is still undetermined. 
While officials promoted BeltLine as an alternative to car commuting for visitors and locals alike, the future of transit on the trail system is still in flux. Dickens’ announcement of four new MARTA infill stations across the city, with some around the BeltLine, reignited debate over the long-standing plan to build light rail on the trail. 
Rail on the BeltLine has been divisive, but Dickens and Higgs reaffirmed support for transit on the 22-mile loop. The southside portions are being built with infrastructure for future transit — whatever that may look like. 
“We’ve got to figure out transit within the city of Atlanta,” Higgs said. 
Dickens recently said the city is exploring different options for transit along the BeltLine, which he reiterated at the Wednesday press conference. The mayor explained rising construction costs and changing modality have shifted his original support for light rail into options like “autonomous vehicles.” 
But he said the ultimate goal is to create a transit system that’s going to “live on for centuries” in the city as it grows.
“We want transit on the BeltLine as well, that’s my interest, and that’s my goal,” Dickens said. 
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