Reconnecting the Region

Flint River Gateway Trails

The U.S. DOT has awarded a federal grant of $64.9 million to ARC, Clayton County, and the cities of College Park, East Point, and Hapeville for the development of the Flint River Gateway Trails. The grants, made through the U.S. DOT’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program, will be used for:

• Scoping and engineering to prepare 16 miles of multi-use trail for construction, in eight segments.
• Construction of 3.2 miles of multi-use trails, in four sections.
• Exploring connectivity of the Flint River Trails network with other trails being discussed in the South Mero area to potentially create an even larger trails network, with the Flint River as major focal point.
• Providing technical assistance to help local governments manage and oversee the planning and construction process.
• Facilitating ongoing community engagement.
• Incorporating “green construction” elements to manage stormwater runoff and flooding.
• The trail network will incorporate trail segments already being planned by the Aerotropolis Alliance, the cities of East Point and College Park, and by Clayton County.

Flint River Gateway Trails map. Download pdf.

The trail network will incorporate trail segments already being planned by the Aerotropolis Alliance, the cities of East Point and College Park, and by Clayton County.  The project will begin once a contract with the U.S. DOT has been approved. That is anticipated to occur in late 2025 or early 2026. A separate visioning process for the Flint River Gateway Trails network will begin later in 2024, an important first step to ensure that public input drives the planning process. Moving forward, ARC will work to secure additional funding to build out the trail vision. Sources may include federal highway formula funds and federal grant programs.

Reconnecting the Region Initiative

The Flint River Gateway Trails is part of ARC’s Reconnecting the Region initiative, which aims to connect communities that have long been divided by major infrastructure projects like highways, railways, and the airport, in a way that offers greater economic opportunities and improved access to good jobs and essential services such as health care.

The communities along the south metro Atlanta trail network have been impacted by construction of interstate highways, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and heavily used freight rail lines.

The Flint River Gateway Trails builds upon decades of planning and investments in the communities around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Twelve foundational, ARC-funded trail projects and plans, such as the Atlanta Regional Trail Vision, AeroATL Greenways Plan, East Point Multimodal Improvements and Tara Boulevard Pedestrian Safety Improvements serve as a catalyst to reconnect Atlanta’s southside communities.

The federal grants also serve as a key mechanism to fulfill the vision of Finding the Flint, a community-led effort to restore the Upper Flint River, address stormwater and flooding issues, and reconnect neighborhoods through trails and parks. The Flint River begins near the airport in East Point and flows for 344 miles to the Florida state line.

The Flint River Gateway Trails has been supported by community partners that include The Conservation Fund, Finding the Flint, American Rivers, Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, Atlanta BeltLine, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and MARTA.