ATLANTA — A portion of a path that runs along Georgia 400 officially opened Friday.
The 5.2-mile trail is the first segment of Path 400 and makes Atlanta one step closer to becoming a more connected city for pedestrians and cyclists.
“It's one of those things where you say, ‘It’s about time we've done it here,’” said Denise Starling.
Phase one of Path 400 will help connect 27 neighborhoods from north Buckhead to the northern tip of Morningside.
“It provides a fantastic connection, and you will soon have the availability to get from Buckhead to Stone Mountain all the way to Alabama by bike,” said Starling.
Starling is the executive director of Livable Buckhead. She has been working with the City of Atlanta and GDOT to get this $10 million-$12 million Path 400 project running.
The Public Works Department manager said there was a ton of red tape involved.
“There were a lot of permits that had to be had and talked about, the right of way that needed to be gotten through with GDOT and other private entities,” said Greg Holder.
The multi-use trail will eventually connect with the beltline to the south and trails in Sandy Springs and North Fulton County.
“You can escape your car even in Atlanta,” said Rebecca Serna with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
It's welcome news for a lot of cyclists.
The first through fourth phases of Path 400 stretch from Wieuca Road to Miami Circle and Sidney Marcus Boulevard
“We are so excited. It’s a key connection. It's wonderful to see different partners coming together to make it happen,” said Serna.
Phase two of Path 400 will be complete by the end of this year and that will run from Old Ivy Road in Buckhead to Wieuca Road. All four phases will be completed by early 2017.
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