ATLANTA — A new way of commuting is on its way to West Midtown where construction on a multi-use path is underway in two states.
Work on the Westside Paper Spur Trail is underway behind the Westside Paper development on West Marietta Street. The .73-mile trail will connect West Marietta Street to the Beltline Connector and, eventually, miles of other trails.
For Arthur Toal, it means he’ll soon be able to ride his one-wheeler from his home in the Howell Station neighborhood to work at Georgia Tech means without ever tangling with Atlanta traffic.
“This connection very soon will get me 80 percent of the way and in the next three or four years I’ll be able to go from home to work without ever seeing a car,” said Toal.
The Spur will involve a 65-foot long, gently sloping bridge that will guide visitors over the rapidly changing topography.
“It’s actually being built in Alabama as we speak,” said Adeline Collot of the Upper Westside Improvement District. “It will be driven over from Alabama and dropped into place via crane.”
Collot says residents in the West Midtown area have longed for more alternatives to driving along Atlanta’s congested roads.
“We’re really looking at building a network and that’s what it takes,” said Collot. “People always complain about our traffic and the best thing we can do is build alternate modes.”
For Arthur Toal and others, the less time spent in heavy traffic the better.
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