Construction has started on the last major segment of PATH400 from Wieuca Road to Loridans Park in Buckhead. Further north, the route is planned to extend into Sandy Springs. (PATH400/Livable Buckhead map)

Crews began building the final major stretch of PATH400, a multi-use path that runs parallel to Georgia Highway 400 in North Atlanta, following a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 11.

The pedestrian and bicycle path connects the city's Buckhead neighborhoods and commercial districts.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was on hand for the kickoff of the $12.8 million project to build the new three-quarter mile stretch of PATH400 between Wieuca Road and Loridans Drive. In addition, Atlanta City Councilmembers Mary Norwood and Howard Shook, who represent Buckhead, were joined by several other local officials at the event, noted Atlanta Intown, a local online news publication.

"PATH400 … is part of a growing trail network that can eventually serve as a valuable economic development tool for our city and the region," Dickens said in a press release. "Trails like PATH400 help make Atlanta a healthier city, providing accessible and equitable opportunities for exercise and recreation."

Designers planned PATH400 as a 5.2-mi. walkable, bikeable greenway to be built on public land next to Ga. 400, extending from the bank of Peachtree Creek northward toward the northern edge of Atlanta. Construction of the entire route is estimated to cost $37 million, with funding for earlier phases provided by the PATH Foundation and Buckhead CID.

Atlanta Intown reported the Wieuca-Loridans segment of PATH400 is being paid for by federal and local government funds, including approximately $8.8 million from transportation improvement project grants administered by the Atlanta Regional Commission, and $3.8 million from the city of Atlanta's Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) funds.

Additional monies for design were contributed by the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID).

PATH400's Wieuca-Loridans segment connects directly to Mountain Way Common, a park that neighbors have worked for years to develop, according to Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. Her organization is spearheading the PATH400 project in partnership with the Buckhead CID and the PATH Foundation.

"Creating pedestrian and bike-friendly connections between parks in Buckhead was one of the central purposes for building PATH400, and we're excited to deliver on that promise with this new segment," Starling said in the release.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) provided its right-of-way along Ga. 400 as land for most of the trail which, when complete, will stretch from the Atlanta BeltLine to Sandy Springs. The PATH Foundation has contributed its construction management services and expertise at no cost to the project.

PATH400 is envisioned as the first step toward implementation of the Buckhead Collection, a planned network of 106 acres of parks and trails in the neighborhood.

Its planners expect construction of PATH400's Wieuca-Loridans segment to take approximately two years to finish. Livable Buckhead will soon begin hosting construction tours for members of the public who are interested in learning more about the project.

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