SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Construction on PATH400, a 12-foot-wide path along the east side of Ga. 400 connecting Central Perimeter to Buckhead and the Atlanta Beltline, is making progress in Sandy Springs.
Sandy Springs residents and commuters along Ga. 400 can already see where the northern and southern limits of the path will go. Because of protections for an endangered bat species that roosts near Nancy Creek, contractors were required to remove trees before March 31 to avoid delays with a ban on tree clearing until fall.
The first and third segments of the trail through southern Sandy Springs are expected to be completed by January 2028.
In early November, there are construction crews working on both sides of Nancy Creek at Windsor Parkway and Starlight Drive, already pouring concrete molds for an expansive bridge.
The first segment is from the Atlanta-Sandy Springs border north to Windsor Parkway in Sandy Springs. The third segment is from Ridgeview Middle School to the Ga. 400 and I-285 interchange, where the trail will connect into Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Central Perimeter.
The Sandy Springs City Council approved a contract extension with Heath & Lineback at its Nov. 4 meeting, securing the firm’s engineering services through the end of 2027.
The current contract totals just under $2.43 million, and the requested time extension does not change its value.
Public Works Director Marty Martin said the extension was needed because of four approved cost increases, included in the contract total.
“The original contract between the city and Heath & Lineback executed in 2018 included a contract time of 24 months,” Martin said. “Those subsequent task orders did not necessarily address or did not address time as they probably ought to have.”
The election night meeting lasted six minutes with no discussion among elected officials.
The $20.1 million construction contract for segments one and three, and other project costs, are primarily funded by the federal government. The city is using its share of revenue from the county’s local option sales tax for transportation to fund the local match.
The total cost of the PATH400 extension project in Sandy Springs is estimated to be around $40 million.
More than a decade in the making, the PATH400 trail is designed to be a green corridor along the state highway from Buckhead’s border with Midtown Atlanta to the city’s northern city limits.
In September, officials from the City of Atlanta and nonprofit Livable Buckhead celebrated the opening of a section of PATH400 from Wieuca Road to Loridans Drive.
The path will continue north on the east side of Ga. 400 after a switchback underneath the Loridans bridge.
Atlanta is funding construction of the 12-foot-wide multi-use trail from Loridans Drive to just south of Nancy Creek at its city limits and has also begun construction.
Sandy Springs is then building the path’s bridge over Nancy Creek to Windsor Parkway and another segment from Ridgeview Park to Johnson Ferry Road.
In early November, a city spokesperson told Appen Media construction efforts are focused on building bridges and walls.
“These activities are concentrated in two primary locations: from the city limit south of Nancy Creek to Windsor Parkway and at the Glenridge Connector,” the spokesperson said. “These improvements are critical to ensuring safe and continuous passage along the trail.”
The bridge over Nancy Creek, the most expensive part of the project, will be 400 feet long and 50 feet over the creek.
The city spokesperson said the bridge fencing will be similar to the aesthetics of the Pitts Road and Roberts Drive bridges over Ga. 400.
Sandy Springs received $18 million in May for final design and construction of the middle segment to form a connected path. The city is setting aside an estimated $5.75 million for its local match for construction.
The spokesperson said the city had recently received bids for the construction of the middle segment between Windsor Parkway and Ridgeview Middle School.
“The bids are currently under review with staff preparing a recommendation for the contract award,” the spokesperson said. “Segment 2 should start construction in the summer of 2026 with a duration of three years.”
Before anything moves forward, the Sandy Springs City Council will need to approve a construction contract. Then, the Georgia Department of Transportation will need to sign off.
All three segments of the 2.3-mile extension of PATH400 are expected to be completed by summer 2029.
At that point, people could ride a bike from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody to downtown Atlanta and the Beltline.