This rendering of the intersection of Pearl Street and Wylie Street shows how on-street parking will be preserved and the trail will follow the road to the north. (Courtesy Atlanta BeltLine)
This rendering of the intersection of Pearl Street and Wylie Street shows how on-street parking will be preserved and the trail will follow the road to the north. (Courtesy Atlanta BeltLine)

Work has officially begun on extending the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail from Irwin Street to Kirkwood Avenue.

Users of the trail might have noticed that a large metal gate went up several months ago, blocking off the unpaved portion of the trail that extends behind the Stove Works and beyond. The phase currently under construction is expected to be complete in 12 months.

A gate has gone up at Irwin Street to block the path as work begins on the Eastside Trail extension.

The extension will be about a mile and bring the trail through Reynoldstown. Trees and brush will be cleared, but by the time the trail is completed, more trees will be planted than were removed, including 150 along Wylie Street alone. There will be closures along Wylie Street beginning this week for the next six weeks as work begins on connecting the BeltLine by way of Krog Street and Wylie until it can return to the corridor near Flat Shoals Avenue.

The challenge of construction down Wylie Street is accommodating the multi-use trail, vehicular traffic, and some on-street parking within a relatively narrow space.

When funding is available, construction will begin on the second phase, which goes from Kirkwood Avenue to Memorial Drive.

For up-to-date information about progress on the Eastside Trail extension, visit beltline.org.

Collin Kelley

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.