Atlanta Beltline, Inc. is seeking qualified design and engineering services for the design of the 1.31-mile Murphy and Oakland City Connector Trail. The project will begin at the Southside Trail – Segment 1 access point near Allene Avenue SW, adjacent to the Westside Trail, and will split into two paths. The Murphy and Oakland City Connector Trail will connect to the transformational Murphy Crossing mixed-use redevelopment project in southwest Atlanta, and the Oakland City MARTA station. 

The Murphy Connector, stretching 0.45 miles, will start at Allene Avenue SW, cross Sylvan Road SW, and continue to Murphy Avenue. The Oakland City segment, 0.86 miles long, will also start at Allene Avenue SW, cross Sylvan Road SW, and end at the Oakland City MARTA Station.  Survey and design work will determine the alignment of the connector trail, ensuring it reaches these destinations most effectively. 

“The Murphy and Oakland City Connector Trail is a highly anticipated segment, not just for local residents, but for the entire Atlanta community,” said Kimberly Wilson, Vice President of Design & Construction for Atlanta Beltline, Inc. “With direct access to the Oakland City MARTA station, this trail will provide Atlantans with connectivity to transit and the Beltline, ensuring access to new opportunities for economic growth and inclusion. We are looking forward to receiving statements of qualifications and to completing design on this vital Beltline connector trail.  This will be the first connector trail to provide access between the Beltline mainline and a MARTA transit station.”  

This project includes the design of a 12-foot-wide concrete multi-use path with 2-foot soft shoulders, as well as landscaping, retaining walls, connections to surrounding streets, handrails and guardrails, storm drainage with green infrastructure solutions, environmental remediation, lighting, and security cameras. 

Earlier this year, developers were selected for the 20-acre Murphy Crossing site in Oakland City neighborhood and adjacent to the Murphy and Oakland City Connector Trail, Adair Parka and Capitol View. The mixed-use redevelopment project will create a high-density, transit-orientated community that includes affordable housing, affordable commercial spaces, and new amenities near the corridor. The site is also in close proximity to the Beltline-owned Avon site, Oakland City, West End MARTA stations.  

“Developments like Murphy Crossing, combined with connector trails, like the Murphy and Oakland City connector trail, are vital to promoting equitable growth in neighborhoods along the corridor,” said Dennis Richards, Vice President of Housing Policy and Development at Atlanta Beltline, Inc. “This connector trail will provide future residents and business owners access not only to the Beltline, but also to affordable housing and commercial space, public transit, green spaces, and job opportunities.”  

The development of the Beltline has accelerated, with 85% of the transformative project either complete or under construction totaling 17.5-miles in trail length. To date, 10.4 miles of the 22-mile Beltline mainline loop and 10.3 miles of connector trails that tie directly into current and future segments of the Beltline mainline trail have been completed. 

This project is currently funded through the design, in accordance with the Strategic Implementation Plan approved earlier this year.   

To view this solicitation, interested parties can register on Beltline’s procurement management website. Once registered, the solicitation can be found here. Qualifications are due November 14, 2024. The Beltline recognizes the importance of supplier diversity and seeks to hire diverse firms and suppliers to help build out the trail with the goal of strengthening the economic development and viability for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE).