Rails to Trails Conservancy Points to New Connections, Partnerships and Funding as Critical Progress on Great American Rail-Trail

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rails to Trails Conservancy today announced 2024's progress along the developing 3,700-mile cross-country Great American Rail-Trail and its cumulative impact in the five years since the vision for this trail was introduced.

Since the 2019 announcement of the Great American Rail-Trail, an outpouring of enthusiasm for the project has emerged.

"Since RTC announced the route of the cross-country trail in 2019, we have seen an outpouring of enthusiasm for this project," said Kevin Belle, RTC's project manager for the Great American. "People from small towns and big cities equally want to see this trail completed because they understand the transformative impact it brings—new economic opportunity, spaces to play outside, and, arguably most important, quality of life. They're coming together to organize, invest in and activate their segments of trail, which is the magic that will help connect the entire route."

Highlights of progress along the Great American Rail-Trail include:

• More than $35 million in new public and private funding invested in the route in 2024, adding to the total of more than $161 million invested since the project launch, not including the integration of walking and biking infrastructure in the $87.5 million USDOT Bridge Reinvestment Program grant for Market Street Bridge, a major connector along the Great American, between Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia.
• Nearly 125 new miles have been added to the route since 2019, including 12 this year with new segments completed in Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Washington and Ohio. Among the new miles added in 2024 included the addition of the Tarkio Flats Trail, a new section in Mineral County, Montana.
• Long-awaited connections were made, including the completion of Great American Gap #45 with the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Connection, creating nearly 60 miles of uninterrupted trail along the Great American route.
• Major Transportation Alternative Program awards, the largest source of federal funding for trails, walking and biking, supported projects including partially constructing Iowa River's Edge Trail, repaving Kokosing Gap Trail in Ohio, and resurfacing a portion of C&O Canal in Maryland—additionally, a major Federal Highway Administration Tribal Transportation Program grant was awarded for construction to the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe in Washington.

RTC celebrated this progress, and the impact the trail has had on the nation over five years with a virtual event hosted on Dec. 17. Watch 5 Years of Progress on the Great American Rail-Trail Connecting the Nation By Trail at youtu.be/mBPLscGp8vQ.

Introduced in May 2019, the Great American Rail-Trail will be the nation's first multiuse trail and entirely bikeable route separated from vehicle traffic across the country. A flagship project of RTC, the trail spans 3,700+ miles across 12 states between Washington, D.C., and Washington State. To date, 2,068.6 miles of the trail are completed, marking the entire route at 55 percent complete. The Great American will serve 50 million people living within 50 miles of the trail and millions of additional visitors from across the country and around the world. Explore the Great American at greatamericanrailtrail.org, and connect with the @greatamericanrailtrail (#GRTAmerican) on social media.

Rails to Trails Conservancy is the nation's largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors. Connect with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on social media.

CONTACT:
Patricia Brooks, 202.351.1757, patricia@matchmapmedia.com

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SOURCE Rails to Trails Conservancy