NEW TRAILS

PATH celebrates 25th anniversary with big announcement

The PATH Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary with plans to add 37 new miles of trails. The organization is seeking to raise $15.8 million in private funds through a recently launched fundraising campaign.

The campaign will leverage more than $34 million in public funding for a total investment of $50 million in new trail projects. To encourage community support, the James M. Cox Foundation has committed $6 million to the effort.

The new trails will serve as community connectors by linking existing trails to new neighborhoods and to Atlanta’s colleges and universities, extending the PATH400 project in Buckhead, completing a new segment at the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange and expanding the trail network into southwest Atlanta.

Plans also include a new segment to connect Vine City to Downtown around the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and to create a “Bike Depot.” Located between Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium, the Bike Depot will provide bike rentals and cyclist parking.

PATH will begin construction on the PATH Parkway project on the Georgia Tech campus later this month. PATH, Georgia Tech and the City of Atlanta are partnering to create a linear park between Northside Drive and North Avenue by eliminating the southbound lanes of Tech Parkway and claiming the space for pedestrians and cyclists.