The groundbreaking has occurred, the bulldozers are moving and the BeltLine’s first park in Old Fourth Ward is in high gear. Phase 1 is currently slated to be completed by Summer 2010. Watch the video below for more.

Historic Fourth Ward Park (H4WP) will be a 35-acre Atlanta greenspace stretching roughly from North Avenue to Freedom Parkway. It is the first new Atlanta BeltLine park. Its first phase of construction, consisting of a stormwater detention pond that will become the central amenity of the larger park, broke ground on October 15.

The backhoes, excavators, and dump trucks have begun working full-tilt on Phase I of the Historic Fourth Ward Park. The work will include remediation of the old industrial site south of North Avenue at City Hall East and the construction of walkways, an amphitheater and event lawn, and numerous water features, including a two-acre stormwater detention pond.

Two more sections are planned, Phases II and III, which, when completed, will extend the park to North Avenue to the north and Ralph McGill Avenue to the south, encompassing a total of thirty-five acres. A four-acre satellite park a quarter-mile to the southeast will include a multi-use field, a playground, restroom, and a 15,000 sq. ft. skate park.

To keep up with all things BeltLine, visit www.beltline.org.