Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! The typical design for the combined transit and trail corridor is 55 feet. The ROW that has been acquired is sufficient for this design. In some sections the corridor is much wider and would allow for a greater separation of trail and transit, but the rendering here shows how the two will coexist in narrower spaces.
Currently, Atlanta's mayor, much like Shirley Franklin & Kasim Reed while they were in the office, is one of BeltLine rail's biggest supporters. Andre Dickens' familiarity & enthusiasm date back to when he served as chairman of the Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee. Atlanta BeltLine Inc. CEO Clyde Higgs, the Atlanta representatives on the MARTA Board of Directors, the majority of BeltLine NPUs (Neighborhood Planning Units) also support the complete vision of the project as it was explained to voters in 2016, when 71% voted to tax themselves to fund it & other projects on what later evolved into the More MARTA projects list. BRN delivered a petition of public support with more than 10,000 signatures in 2018 & met one-on-one with NPUs & neighborhood groups in 2022-2023.
Both physically and metaphorically, it connects this divided city back together – north and south; east and west; young and old; rich and poor; every race, income, religion, and creed – offering a vision for equity back before that was a buzzword…
This project has undergone hundreds of meetings with thousands of participants over nearly two decades – far more public engagement than has been asked of any other project in the city’s history…
Over the years, the idea to put BRT on the Atlanta Beltline periodically resurfaces with the idea that it would also be faster and cheaper to implement. It sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t work…
Walking, biking and other examples of people-powered mobility are wonderful forms of transportation, but they don’t work for everyone at every time of day or in every season… …the Atlanta Beltline will help our region manage significant population and job growth by expanding the reach of MARTA’s existing rail network…
While most neighborhoods do need affordable housing, that is not the only equity issue. Things like transit, health, education, pollution, public space, parks, and venture capital are also often equity issues – and their interdependence is worth noting. Transit, for example, can improve access to fresh food, schools, and healthcare, and it often incentivizes revitalization, which brings new jobs and economic opportunity…
No, but has never planned to own all of the land. The Northwest section of the BeltLine is an active freight corridor owned by CSX that sees 6 to 10 trains a day. The city has never intended to own this land but they are in talks for an easement to use the corridor for light rail.