An Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) grant award ballooned to $18 million to construct a middle section of the PATH 400 trail in Sandy Springs.
Allen Johnson, the city’s TSPLOST (Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax) manager, said the city got the opportunity for the larger grant award when other local governments were unable to use funds available through the ARC. That freed the federal funding for redistribution, he told the council during its May 6 meeting.
Sandy Springs recently announced it received a $4 million grant award for the PATH 400 segment from Loridans to Johnson Ferry. That amount will increase to $18 million with the city providing $5 million for a local grant match. The council approved moving $3 million from its TSPLOST account for PATH 400 and another $2 million from its capital contingency fund.
In May 2024, the council approved a $20.1 million contract to construct 1.8 miles of the PATH 400 trail. City funding fell short for the entire 2.3 miles of the trail in Sandy Springs, so it broke the project into three sections.
The first project is underway. It will connect the southern section from Nancy Creek north to Windsor Parkway, and the northern section from Ridgeview Park to north of the Glenridge Connector.
The increase in funding will enable the city to build the middle section from Windsor Parkway to Ridgeview Park.
Mayor Rusty Paul said PATH 400 is a small part of the city’s total trail network, but is a key component because Sandy Springs is a linchpin for regional trails.
“They all come together here, whether it’s this one that goes all the way down to the Beltline,” Paul said. “What we’re doing out in Powers Ferry connects us to the Cobb trail network that goes to the Silver Comet Trail that goes all the way to Alabama.”
The Path 400 Trail Extension will be a walkable and bikeable trail next to GA 400 extending from Loridans Drive to a point in the southern part of the city inside the Perimeter. It will be the northern segment of the 5.2-mile PATH 400. Sandy Springs will have 2.3 miles of the trail extension built.
Johnson said the PATH 400 Trail Extension should be open in four years.