Atlanta Beltline

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

They need to widen that stretch of beltline and also they need to really start requiring mini plazas at any access points to the beltline. There is no where to pull off and de-mount your bike so you can walk your bike down to the park. This will just cause more traffic jams and potential accidents from people just stopping in the middle of the beltline.

[shivtim]

A big construction/planning update was posted today.

New eastside gateway, with GA power site construction in background:


Southside trail:


Bill Kennedy way:

[montydawg]

Quick video from Marta on planning of the light rail along the Beltline.

https://youtu.be/BDHgS4lK-ck

[Libertarian]

We'll all be long dead before there is light rail on the Beltline. Maybe a couple of short pieces, that's all.

[ATLarchitect]

Originally Posted by montydawg

Quick video from Marta on planning of the light rail along the Beltline.

https://youtu.be/BDHgS4lK-ck

"So we're going to validate what has been studied. So we're not going to study what we don't need to re-study. But we're going to validate any changes. We're going to make sure that's accurate. Make sure if there's any gaps there or information we need."

Yikes. There's been some banter back and forth on twitter between MARTA and Ryan Gravel questioning the need for additional studies that's been interesting to watch. This video doesn't instill much hope.

[Street Advocate]

This picture is a great depiction of why “just lay down the rail” isn’t as straight forward as people may want. The ridge line will likely need a lot of stabilizing infrastructure to combat erosion. The addition of the trail parallel to the ridge line, which required a lot of excavation and alteration to the hillside, may have compromised prior integrity.

[700]

That's the thing with public transit, and any other kind of infrastructure really: its always more complicated than it looks. A transit line like the BeltLine light rail is a lot like a spacecraft in that every last nut and bolt has to be painstakingly studied, engineered, checked, double-checked, and triple-checked to make sure everything is in working order before a single section is built. Otherwise, the entire thing will come flying apart. So you can't just complain about "another study", this kind of thing takes time, and at the end of the day, it just ensures that when the line is built it'll be the best it can be.

[sunking1056]

Originally Posted by 700

That's the thing with public transit, and any other kind of infrastructure really: its always more complicated than it looks.

And it's not subsidized excessively and perpetually like automobile transportation

[Julien]

I say build the damn pedestrian/bike Beltline all the way around and then start studying pie in the sky rail. While not a bad idea the primary purpose of the Beltline IS recreation/quality of life improvements and NOT mass transit.

Things have changed quite a bit since inception. For instance many people now rely on scooters for their "mass transit" needs. In 20 years (time it would be operational) we could see many small city electric autonomous cars used as "mass transit" and trains/buses may become redundant and not used much.

[bryantm3]

I still have my doubts about the business side of autonomous cars. What it's going to do to road funding, when private car owners who pay gas taxes and tag fees give way to fleets of autonomous taxis, what operators are going to do about liability if someone gets hurt, what is the cost going to be for riders, etc. There are so many unanswered questions, and the technology itself still isn't possible yet.

[Julien]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

I still have my doubts about the business side of autonomous cars. What it's going to do to road funding, when private car owners who pay gas taxes and tag fees give way to fleets of autonomous taxis, what operators are going to do about liability if someone gets hurt, what is the cost going to be for riders, etc. There are so many unanswered questions, and the technology itself still isn't possible yet.

[20 years ago]I still have my doubts about the business side of scooters on the street. Why would a company leave $1000 scooters for anyone to steal? What about when someone gets hurt? How will people activate and pay to use them? How will they be recharged and maintained? How will they be located by the owner's after use? There WERE so many unanswered questions, and WILL the many technologies needed even be possible.

As a Tesla (FSD) owner I see the improvements in self driving every few weeks. While there is still a ways to go 20 years is a looooooooong time in technology development. Just look back to 2001.

No real smartphones, no 3G, no iPods, no X-Box, AOL was a top site, Amazon sold mostly books, no iTunes, no Google Maps, almost no LCD TVs, limited HDTV, almost no consumer GPS devices, no drones, no Apple Stores, Windows XP is in the future.....

[bryantm3]

Well, like I said, it's not so much doubts about the technology as it is me doubting our ability to deal with the aftermath. Scooters are pretty minor. I don't think people (especially people who drive or have access to a vehicle) really understand how much cars have shaped our collective psychology, built environment, tax system, housing, virtually everything here in the US. In a way, people have kind of been insulated from reality. Throwing a monkey wrench in the works with autonomous vehicles is likely to do what social media has done to our political system. Quite honestly the jury is still out on that. In the end maybe it'll be a lot better, but I expect it is going to be a lot more disruptive to the status quo than any of us can comprehend right now, along with the other technological changes coming very soon. Like Biden said the other night, the next 10 years are going to see more technological advances than the last 50. I don't think anyone really knows what our society is going to look like when it's all over, but it's probably going to make our projections of it look as quaint as the stuff they printed in Popular Science in the 50s.

[Libertarian]

Marta needs to get Smarta.

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...southside.html

The City of Atlanta is trying again to secure federal dollars for construction of this segment of the popular pathway, which would connect more than 10 miles of the trail and link east and west Atlanta for the first time.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) rejected two previous applications for funding.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs believes the project’s chances are better this year.

“It seems that economic development and community needs will be a big part of that grant opportunity,” he told Atlanta Business Chronicle. “I don’t know that there’s a better story than the Beltline from an economic development and community connectivity perspective.”

The City of Atlanta plans to submit an application in July for funding to support construction of the Southside Trail. Next steps include approval from city council, which could happen later this month.

USDOT will announce the award recipients in November.

[Julien]

Decided to check out the north east section even though I know it would be a disappointment and adversely effect my semi-obsessive behavior (when running I hate to retrace, repeat or even cross a path already traveled [unless it is an overpass/underpass]).

Turns out to be even more disappointing after running it. It is extremely short at about ½ mile and only has 1 true entrance/exit on Montgomery Ferry Dr (Green Arrow in pic).

North end is Blue Arrow and South end is Red Arrow.

Wonder why they didn't go a few 100' more and complete under I85? Also they should have completed the part through Piedmont Park first (IMO) to keep it more consistently connected.



By far the best part is the entrance ramp.


South end


North end


North side of I85 (looking south)

[megalopolis]

Georgia Power did the work on this section of the Beltline since it's aligns with their power lines. The next step will be to complete the section from your blue arrow north to Mason Street and from your red arrow south to Westminster. This will include 2 ramps up to Piedmont, one on each side of the road. Design is already done for this, and it's now in the permitting phase.

[shivtim]

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Receives $4 Million in Grant Funding for Southside Trail
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) awarded Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) $4 million in federal funding through its regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) call for projects. The funding will go directly towards construction of the Southside Trail beginning in fiscal year 2023.

[Street Advocate]

Urbanize Atlanta reported SST segments 4 & 5 (Boulevard SE to Glenwood) to begin construction next year.

[enthurzan]

Originally Posted by Julien

Decided to check out the north east section even though I know it would be a disappointment and adversely effect my semi-obsessive behavior (when running I hate to retrace, repeat or even cross a path already traveled [unless it is an overpass/underpass]).

Turns out to be even more disappointing after running it. It is extremely short at about ½ mile and only has 1 true entrance/exit on Montgomery Ferry Dr (Green Arrow in pic).

North end is Blue Arrow and South end is Red Arrow.

Wonder why they didn't go a few 100' more and complete under I85? Also they should have completed the part through Piedmont Park first (IMO) to keep it more consistently connected.



By far the best part is the entrance ramp.


South end


North end


North side of I85 (looking south)

I wish they would just get the damn thing over with, honestly! What is taking so long to connect the Beltline from 10th Street @ Grady High School to Ansley? It's not that difficult. I've run that section several times - there are 3 bridges that need replacement over Clear Creek, one at the north end of Piedmont Park, and two behind Ansley Mall, but that is about it. Those bridges cost maybe around $1M each with pre-cast concrete.

I understand that the section from I-85 to Lindbergh is more complicated, and I am willing to cut them some more slack on that, but what are these people doing just sitting on their hands all day? Let's get it done!

[Street Advocate]

Why should they prioritize building a trail between 10th and Piedmont where there’s already several trails that connect that segment?

I get the frustration for the small gap between the GA Power trail and Piedmont Park, but not the section where there’s already several miles of existing trails within Piedmont Park connecting its northern and southern ends.