Contact: Britt Storck, PLA, + Diane Jlelaty, PE, Alta
The Atlanta BeltLine is one of the Southeast US’s Signature Trails. The unmistakable circuit around the City of Atlanta connects people to neighborhoods, destinations, and each other. The project’s Westside Segment 4, about a year into construction, has been grounded in collaboration and complex problem-solving for Alta and project partners. With six bridges, nine retaining walls, and several trail plazas, the design program required extensive coordination and a number of approvals prior to groundbreaking. Much of the BeltLine corridor is located on former rail, making it a brownfield site requiring environmental remediation.
Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI) is committed to building the entire trail system equitably, both in terms of geography and design standards. All segments of the Atlanta BeltLine include high quality, low maintenance materials such as stainless steel railing, LED lighting, fiber optic duct bank, use of concrete, green stormwater infrastructure (where feasible), and an extensive native plant palette. For Westside Segment 4, about 30% of the project is being built on structure. The design team used elegant, curvilinear forms for the bridges to maximize experience and remain consistent with the BeltLine fit and finish since many aspects of the bridges will be visible from the neighborhoods along the corridor. One of the signature features of the project is a hairpin bridge near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, which includes a vertical connection to the road above. Another feature moment on this segment of trail will be near the Washington Manor neighborhood, where the roadway and trail footprint will trade locations to become a promenade allowing a straightaway alignment for the BeltLine.
ABI and Alta share a common goal: a commitment to sustainability and resilient design, which has positive effects on climate change. ABI’s sustainability framework indicates the BeltLine will “support best in class sustainability leadership by the City by proactively identifying and implementing solutions to Atlanta’s environmental and economic challenges, leading the way for the City’s efforts.” For Westside Segment 4, Alta worked closely with ABI and Astra Group, LLC to prioritize this framework by integrating resilient materials and construction means into the design program such as:
- Utilizing local vendors within a 300-mile radius for furnishings and building materials to reduce emissions produced by long distance shipping
- Minimizing tree removal project-wide to reduce emissions produced by tree clearing (out of the 2,871 trees surveyed, 1,885 were preserved, and of those trees requiring removal for the project, 1,671 were dead, dying, or hazardous trees)
- Incorporating green stormwater infrastructure, including large bioswales and regenerative stormwater conveyance swales
- Providing a functional native landscape plan consisting of 168 types of native plants across roughly 12.7 acres, providing carbon storage and wildlife habitat
- Using green technology for concrete production, including high percentage slag and fly ash cement mixes and CarbonCure carbon removal technology for the trail paving and structures
Westside Segment 4 design began in 2019 and is a result of a highly collaborative process between Alta’s engineers and landscape architects, our design team partners, the project Owner, and the building contractor, including Sherwood Design Engineers, Sastry and Associates, RPA, United Consulting, and Arborguard.
Many disciplines were required to design and permit Westside Segment 4: structural, environmental, geotechnical, electrical, traffic, and civil engineers, landscape architects, ecologists, arborists, surveyors, and community engagement specialists. With all partners committed to the sustainability goals of the project, the design and construction team have been able to creatively work together to meet project challenges. Stay tuned for a future update on creative problem-solving highlights for Westside Segment 4.
While completing all sections of the Atlanta BeltLine is important for Atlanta, Westside Segment 4 especially will target a critical trail gap in the system between Westside Segment 3 and the Westside Connector and the rest of the existing Westside Trail, providing a needed continuous trail link for west Atlantans. Construction is on schedule and approximately 40 percent complete, with a target of completion by mid-2025.
