Atlanta scores $16 million federal grant for bike trails and sidewalks near Westside Park

A $16 million federal grant will pay for more than 3 miles of paved trails, protected bike lanes, ADA improvements to help people access Atlanta's Westside Park .

Why it matters: The green space centered on a quarry turned reservoir is Atlanta's largest park. Yet it can be difficult to reach without an automobile.

• The RAISE grant announced Wednesday to the city of Atlanta would create safer routes for bicyclists and pedestrians coming from Georgia Tech and neighborhoods like English Avenue.

Zoom in: The funding award will pay for improvements along Johnson Road, West Marietta Street, Brady Avenue and 10th Street, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's fact sheet about the winners ( PDF ).

• According to a map of the proposed projects, the grant will also help pay for long-planned bike lanes along Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. The improvements will also connect to the Beltline's Westside and Connector Trails .

State of play: According to award documents, construction could begin in January 2028. It's unclear how much funding the city will need to match the grant; the Mayor Andre Dickens administration did not respond to Axios' request for comment.

Zoom out: Decatur received $1.9 million to design an overhaul of Scott Boulevard that calls for adding multi-use trails, trees and a median along Scott Boulevard to help reduce crashes and slow down speed demons.

• Fairburn will receive $1 million for sidewalk improvements as well as a pedestrian skywalk over US 29 and CSX freight tracks to help workers access the south Fulton city's warehouse and logistics jobs.