ATLANTA - Atlanta officials say the city's BeltLine now has enough funding to be fully completed.
With a new $30 million donation from the James Cox Foundation, the 22-mile loop around the city has all the funding it needs to complete the northwest BeltLine trails. After being combined with an earlier gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, planners say the funding is now in place to finish the entire project.
"As mayor, I’m focused on drawing circles to bring us together in our city," Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. "That’s usually a metaphor, but not when it comes to the BeltLine! I’m so excited that this gift will let us finish constructing that big, beautiful circle around Atlanta. Thanks to this generous donation from the James M. Cox Foundation, we will be able to complete the full 22-mile loop, bringing the trail’s promise of access, investment and equity to all parts of our great city. This is a truly transformative gift that will benefit generations of Atlantans to come."
Planners expect the completed project to allow 45 neighborhoods to have access to the circuit of trails.
"From our experience building the PATH trails, we know what a difference it makes for people to be able to be outside, exercising, meeting neighbors and building the sense of community we all need. This is an important project for Atlanta, and we are happy to play a role in making it happen," James Cox Foundation chairman Jim Kennedy said.
City officials expect construction of the BeltLine to be completed by 2030.
The project is also supposed to create 5,600 units of affordable housing before its completion.