Friday, August 20, 2010
Transit Here's a peek at the Beltline's eastside bike trail design
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- Atlanta Beltline Inc.
Last Thursday, Beltline officials rolled out the first sketches of the 2.5-mile bike trail that will link Piedmont Park to DeKalb Avenue. The trail, to be funded by a $5 million gift from Kaiser-Permanente and the PATH Foundation, should open to pedestrians and cyclists sometime next summer.
The 14-foot-wide path will begin at 10th and Monroe and weave through Poncey-Highland, Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park. It'll end shortly before DeKalb Avenue to prevent cyclists from rushing on to the hectic thoroughfare. Lighting and seating will be featured along the trail.
Project officials last Thursday night told CL that the path won't simply be a sloppy concrete snake tossed down willy nilly. It will feature phased-in plantings and landscaping. Space for the arboretum and a future light-rail or streetcar transit system will be preserved. Access for pedestrians and the disabled, including ramps, will be placed along the segment.
Liz Coyle, a community activist who chairs the Beltline Network, voiced concerns at last week's meeting that some of the project's most ardent supporters have debated for months. They want to be sure that the Beltline's overall design — which should be seamless — won't be jeopardized or dictated by the rush to build the eastside bike trail. The process, led by Perkins+Will and James Corner Field Operations, is currently underway.
Beltline Design Director Fred Yalouris said the funding opportunity made possible by the Kaiser Permanente and the PATH Foundation is one that "doesn't come around too often." He said he feels the design team will have the appropriate context for the rest of the Beltline. Perkins+Will's Ryan Gravel, who's the visionary behind the Beltline, agreed. Yalouris also stressed that the sketches were merely that — sketches. He noted there may be some areas where the bike trail must be torn up and replaced once transit is implemented.
Beginning in September, project officials and designers will hold three or four citywide "conversations" to discuss the trail design. We'll update dates and details when they become available. Construction crews are expected to begin preliminary work in late October. Beltline officials plan to apply for federal funding that would build several additional miles of trail — including the much-anticipated phase connecting to Glenwood Park — and pay for streetscape improvements near the project.
Photos of the different segment sketches — plus some hi-res renderings — are below. When we get our hands on other renderings, we'll post 'em. Keep in mind these are still somewhat preliminary and subject to change.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Gateway
This segment begins at 10th and Monroe near Piedmont Park. The massive utility pole to the left will unfortunately remain. Beltline designers wonder if it could be co-opted as a piece of public art.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Straight-Away
This leg runs behind Midtown Plaza, the Ponce de Leon Avenue shopping center that includes Whole Foods, and the businesses along Ponce de Leon Place. It's one of several segments along the eastside trail that offers clear views of the city skyline.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Square
The area near City Hall East, the Ford Factory Lofts and the Masquerade will connect with Historic Fourth Ward Park, which is currently under construction.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Overlook
Decades ago, trains traveled past a hill where three trees still stand and which today offers a clear view of the city. Officials want to make this (pictured above and below) a feature of the trail.
- Atlanta Beltline Inc.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Arc
The area featured above and below is near the still unnamed skate park located in the shadows of Freedom Parkway near Willoughby Way. The 17,000-square-foot skate park, which is currently under construction, will be the city's first.
- Atlanta Beltline Inc.
- Thomas Wheatley
- The Allee
This shaded straight-away crosses Irwin Street and Edgewood Avenue.
Comments (18)
Showing 1-18 of 18
More good news! Can't wait to start using this for my commute between Reynoldstown and Midtown! Can anyone answer a few questions, though:
1) "It'll end shortly before DeKalb Avenue to prevent cyclists from rushing on to the hectic thoroughfare." Does this mean that it won't be accessible from Dekalb?
2) In the section between Ponce and Monroe, will there be any access down to the Midtown shopping center? For accessing Midtown, it'd be much easier to cross Monroe at the light on 8th (in front of Trader Joes) instead of having to go up to 10th/Monroe, then do a left right jog through that terrible clusterf-ck of an intersection.
3) "...the much-anticipated phase connecting to Glenwood Park..." Will this include a new way (bridge or tunnel) to get past Dekalb and the railroad tracks and into Cabbagetown? Using the Krog tunnel isn't terrible, but that'll still require riding on Dekalb Ave for the 1/3 mile or so between the end of the Beltline and the tunnel.
like
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Any progress is good. They shouldn't try to hold up the incremental developments for overall continuity because as we've seen in Atlanta, these projects stall and disappear. Let's get it going!
Wisteria,
Good questions. Keep in mind that these segments are still works in progress.
1. Last time I walked the segment, I could access the Beltline from DeKalb Avenue. That was on foot, however. I don't know if this part will be paved. Part of the funding application that project officials want to submit to the feds would include streetscape improvements this area that might address the issue.
2. A Beltline official told me they'd like to have discussions with private property owners to offer access from the trail.
3. Good question. I remember asking but can't find the answer. I'll try to find out for you.
Done well, it would to hard to argue with any of this; but then again, this is Atlanta, isn't it?
Did they provide any more details about the west side trails? There is the PATH paved trail starting on White St, but the section of the Beltline former railroad bed, starting at Allene, is still fist-sized gravel rocks. Did they indicate if and when that might be paved or at least smoothed? Thanks.
CEP,
They didn't discuss that segment. I want to say that's still owned by Norfolk Southern. From what I understand, Beltline officials have had discussions with the railroad about the tracks, but nothing's been negotiated.
Wisteria's post about commuting on the NE line made me wonder -- where the Gateway line ends, is there a plan to put a connecting bike path on 10th street? Think this would be helpful for commuters who want to get from the residential areas in the NE Beltline area to the job centers.
Regarding Darin's comment, if you look at that photo of the 10th and Monroe (aka, "The Gateway") you'll see that the trail currently ends abruptly on Monroe with no signal or marked crosswalk. In the artists rendering of that intersection, it appears that Monroe has been turned into a gravel road and the red-tinted lady on the 10 speed is able to blissfully cross without concern. Somehow, this doesn't seem realistic.
Once you get into the residential section of Midtown, it's very safe and easy to get to the employment area of Midtown (8th to Charles Allen, then west on 5th). But the trick will be getting across both 10th and Monroe. Hopefully someone has thought about this, but, as Question Man depressingly points out, this is Atlanta we're talking about, so the likelihood of that is low.
W: Don't you think they thought about it, got a headache, and decided that 10th and Monroe will remain a pedestrian dead zone (pun intended?)?
Is it just me, or does it look like pedestrians will be getting run over a lot? None of these designs indicate any sort of guard rail or safety devices.
Rands, I think it will be good for people to figure out on their own that stepping in front of moving trains is a really, really bad idea.
San Diego and Houston have trains like this and they have no guard rails. I'm not sure how many people get hit jaywaling on the tracks, but there are no repeat offenders.
Why are we spending millions on paths when Atlanta's streets look like cobblestone and it's infrustructure is crumbling?
In 20 years, we will laugh about these images. It's like the pictures from Epcot Center in the 70s that showed it as some sort of city of the future. Street cars zooming quietly down a manicured lawn while Michelle Obama frolics alongside an epic game of ultimate frisbee, and shopkeepers gleefully serve throngs of customers who can only access their store by bike. All that's missing are the flying cars. On the other hand, it could be a very nice version of the Capital Crescent trail.
- Access to shopping centers, esp. Midtown Place and Midtown Promenade is partly up to the private property owners. There's also a steep hill up to the BeltLine so they would have to figure out how to get people there - stairs, ramps, etc.
- The intersections at 10th/Monroe and at DeKalb are worrying me. 10th/Monroe might get an all red phase that would allow pedestrians to cross on the north side of the intersection. Bicycle access doesn't seem to be well thought through. I ride down DeKalb Ave at least once a week, and would be really peeved if I couldn't make a turn onto the BeltLine if I were going that way.
- This trail will be constructed by the end of 2011 if not sooner. The southwest segment from Allene to Lena St is owned or at least optioned to the BeltLine already and should be paved by 2012.
- The trains will have a driver and operate at the same speeds as other urban traffic - crossing the tracks will be no different than crossing a street, which most people understand pretty well.
- For anyone who isn't clear on how the BeltLine is being funded or how it will help transportation in Atlanta, please go to a 'BeltLine 101' session or read their website more thoroughly.
A ground breaking is being planned for October 30.
http://www.pathfoundation.org/index.cfm?ev…
f anyone would like to express their opinions about the Beltline project and any of the newest additions/proposals concerning it for a short film being made at Georgia State University, please email us. We would love to get as many diverse points of view as we possibly can to participate. Thank you. gsubeltlinefilm@gmail.com
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