Historic Fourth Ward Park, Meet Eastside Trail

Although they’re only separated by a couple hundred feet, Historic Fourth Ward Park and the BeltLine Eastside Trail have seemed worlds apart due to steep and brambled topography, fences, the ruins of an old railroad trestle, and a cave dwelling troll. Just kidding about the troll. There is simply no direct way for those enjoying the 12 acre park, playground, and pond to access the linear park that is the Eastside Trail, or vice versa.

That is soon to be remedied with a “gateway” trail.

The ADA compliant path will negotiate the troubled terrain in a sweeping north to south fashion on a parcel just south of the Masquerade. Point-to-point of the path will be from the Angier Springs Road access area of the Eastside Trail to a boundary of Historic Fourth Ward Park at Dallas Street and North Angier Avenue.

The project will include generous landscaping, retaining walls, lighting and stormwater infrastructure. It’s essentially a park connecting two parks.

“The Gateway will link two projects that have had tremendous impact on the surrounding area,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “With 1,000 new housing units under construction in the immediate vicinity and $775 million of new private development within a half mile of the Eastside Trail it is clear these infrastructure improvements are generating substantial returns for the City of Atlanta and its residents.”

Construction should be complete by Summer 2014.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Friday, January 17, 2014 at 10 a.m. on the Eastside Trail where it overlooks Historic Fourth Ward Park. You can get there from North Avenue to Somerset Terrace to Angier Springs Road. Park on Somerset or Angier Springs.

The Eastside Gateway Trail comes courtesy of generous donations from A Friend of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership; the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation; the John N. Goddard Foundation; and the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.

Images courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.