Atlanta's trail network is built on the principle that disconnected paths are less useful than connected ones. The Spur Trail, a $2.9 million project announced in August 2023, is designed to close one of the remaining gaps between the Upper Westside neighborhoods and downtown Atlanta.
The trail runs three-quarters of a mile from West Marietta Street south to the Westside BeltLine Connector at Jefferson Street. It meanders behind buildings along Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, passes between the Westside Paper adaptive reuse development — a 15.2-acre mixed-use project — and the QTS Data Centers campus, which spans 95 acres. At its southern end, it feeds into the BeltLine system, which connects to downtown.
Funding and Partners
The project is funded through Atlanta's $750 million Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure package, which voters approved to address the city's aging transportation systems. QTS donated the land for the trail corridor, allowing the full $2.9 million allocation to go toward design and construction rather than acquisition.
The Upper Westside Community Improvement District is leading the project in partnership with the PATH Foundation, the nonprofit that has designed and built many of Atlanta's signature trails. PATH is handling design and construction administration.
The Connection That Matters
Adeline Collot, the CID's program director, was direct about the trail's purpose: "We want to feed all of the infrastructure into BeltLine connections — that's getting people to downtown and their jobs."
The Upper Westside has experienced rapid development over the past decade — breweries, adaptive reuse lofts, creative office space — but its pedestrian and cycling connections to the rest of the city have lagged behind the investment. The Spur Trail is designed to change that by giving six neighborhoods, including Blandtown and Knight Park/Howell Station, a safe, dedicated route to the BeltLine and, through it, to downtown Atlanta.
Construction was expected to begin in early 2024 with completion by late 2025. Elizabeth Hollister, the CID's executive director, confirmed the timeline and noted that the Upper Westside CID would partner on long-term trail maintenance.
Original reporting by GPB News, Georgia Public Broadcasting, August 21, 2023.