Construction crews are breaking ground this week on a stretch of Bolton Road between Barnett Drive and Marietta Boulevard, kicking off a project to rebuild the Whetstone Wetland Greenspace with new trails, drainage upgrades and a fair amount of tree clearing. Work at 2399 Bolton Road NW in Northwest Atlanta is scheduled to run from September 28, 2026, through March 8, 2027, weather permitting, with crews on site Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to WSB-TV, the scope of work includes clearing and grading, tree removal, and drainage improvements, along with permeable aggregate trails, stone overlooks, landscaping, and new bike racks and trash receptacles. City officials say no full road closures are planned, though crews may implement temporary lane closures as needed, with flaggers directing traffic around the work zone. Pedestrian access will be limited inside the active construction zone, and traffic control signs will guide drivers around the site.
City officials say residents will retain access to their properties throughout construction, and nearby businesses, schools and places of worship will remain accessible. On-street parking may be temporarily unavailable in the work area during active construction, but mail, package deliveries, trash collection and emergency services are all expected to continue on their normal schedules.
Drainage and Trail Work in the Area
The project includes drainage improvements and trail work in the area.
Drainage improvements are part of the project. The R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center, on Bolton Road, is Atlanta's largest wastewater treatment plant, with a daily design capacity of 122 million gallons serving roughly 1.6 million people across a regional service area that encompasses portions of the Whetstone Creek, Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek basins, according to Water & Wastewater.
Part of a Much Bigger Trail Network
The Whetstone Creek Trail was built on a former rail spur.
Today that same corridor plays a much bigger role in regional planning. Reporting by Urbanize Atlanta in November 2025 identified the Whetstone Creek Trail network as a key segment of the Silver Comet Connector, a project designed to link the 61.5-mile Silver Comet Trail in Cobb County to the Atlanta BeltLine's Northwest Trail. A separate Urbanize Atlanta report from August 2026 noted that local trail and wetland work along Whetstone Creek also aligns with the Chattahoochee RiverLands initiative, a 125-mile master-planned greenway coordinated by the Trust for Public Land that would eventually link communities from Gwinnett County down to Coweta County.
Everyday Use for Students and Growing Neighborhoods
The Whetstone Creek Trail includes a spur to Adams Street near Bolton Academy, a public elementary school on Adams Drive NW.
