Accelerating Trail Network Development Nationwide

The Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition is a developing 35-mile trail system that will connect 75 diverse neighborhoods—safely linking people of all ages and abilities to the city’s diverse cultural amenities and destinations, outdoor resources, business areas and employment centers.

Last year, RTC invested $35,500 to support community organizations in designing and implementing programs and events so residents—including Baltimore’s youth cycling community—can enjoy increased access to their trails and public spaces. These grants are building crucial organizational capacity while inspiring neighborhoods to connect with each other and experience all the benefits of the city’s developing trail network.

Related: What’s Happening With Project to Connect Baltimore’s Trails? (Baltimore Banner)

“Youth groups in Baltimore will benefit greatly from the opportunity for greater access to trails and recreation. The Panther Outdoor Society has to travel out of the city often to find suitable trails for mountain biking practice.”

—Scott Johnson, Community Schools Coordinator, Belair-Edison Middle School

The Route of the Badger is a developing 700-mile regional trail network that is connecting rural and urban communities in seven counties in Southeast Wisconsin. The network is connecting residents to jobs, neighborhoods, schools, parks and cultural attractions—with a focus on areas where there is no safe access to trails.

In Milwaukee, RTC is collaborating with a local partnership team to transform the 30th Street Corridor into a space that will deliver on opportunities for outdoor access, active transportation and economic development in the city's Northwest neighborhoods. With support from a $200,000 grant from the Catena Foundation, awarded in 2022, the team is embarking on a two-year equitable trail development process whereby residents and local organizations will help lead a vision for how safe recreational and active-transportation access along the corridor can be leveraged to generate equitable economic investments that benefit residents.

RELATED: A New Trail Could Be Coming to the 30th Street Corridor Through Milwaukee’s North Side (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

“We see the equitable trail-development process for a world-class linear park as an opportunity for us to come together to create a new vision for the corridor, which is currently plagued with serious challenges. The only way for us to change that is to build a new and better reality—with and for all the wonderful people and businesses here.”

—Cheryl Blue, Executive Director, 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation

The developing 2,600-miles-plus Bay Area regional trail network, led by RTC and the Bay Area Trails Collaborative, is connecting millions of people with safe walking, biking and rolling access across nine counties—while inspiring investments and building further support for this transformative project.

In 2022, advocacy efforts by RTC and partners helped secure a record $1.02 billion approved for walking, biking and trail projects via California’s competitive Active Transportation Program—a portion of which will support the creation of the Bay Area regional trail network, which is 66% complete.

RTC continues to explore new funding and connectivity opportunities to fill gaps in the trail network, which was recently included in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s new active transportation plan.

“The Bay Area regional trail network is an example of a bold project that can deliver affordable, environmentally friendly transportation for millions, if the California state legislature prioritizes adequate funding.”

—Nick Josefowitz, SPUR, and Laura Cohen, RTC

Through the Capital Trails Coalition, RTC and partners are leading an effort to develop and connect trails and safe walking and bicycling routes across 800 miles in the Washington, D.C., region.

In August 2022, the coalition received a $30 million grant through the competitive federal RAISE program (via the U.S. Department of Transportation) to fund two priority trail projects that will expand the reach of the trail network—connecting more people to parks across Maryland, Southeast D.C. and Virginia. These crucial routes will be transformative to the surrounding communities—creating new low-stress bike-ped options for recreation and transportation in one of the city’s most underserved areas.

Related: Big Wins for Priority Trails (Capital Trails Coalition)

“We know there’s more work to do to keep up the momentum for continued expansion of the trail network. But this week makes clear that, nationwide, trails and active transportation are ready to compete and be an increasingly important part of the transportation fabric.”

—Kevin O’Brien, Washington Area Bicyclist Association

The Circuit Trails is a developing urban network of multiuse trails in Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey that is building on the region’s existing infrastructure to connect people to jobs, neighborhoods and parks across 800 miles in nine counties.

In 2022, the Circuit Trails celebrated 10 years of progress, having raised $240 million to date and grown the network to 374 miles of trails on the ground serving millions of people. Federal, state, local and foundation dollars helped create 36 new miles of Circuit Trails in FY 2022, with further state funding secured to create a critical walking and bicycling link between the city of Camden and its suburbs—protecting residents and visitors from one of the state’s most deadly roads for pedestrians.

RTC is raising awareness of the trail network, with a short-term goal of 500 miles on the ground by 2025. Through an innovative, inclusive regional marketing strategy, RTC seeks to build engagement with, and support for, the region’s trails among diverse audiences, while utilizing inclusive and welcoming language that creates authentic representation of trail use and users’ experiences.

RELATED: Must-See Circuit Trails Around South New Jersey/Greater Philadelphia (@theglobalghanagirl)

“With the help of the Circuit Trails street team, we were able to engage locally on the ground with communities that we otherwise wouldn’t have the capacity to reach. Being a smaller nonprofit with limited staff, this resource was so impactful in helping us spread the word about free programming along our riverfront trails. We are thankful that we were able to team up with the Circuit Trail street team on this initiative and raise local awareness about the amazing hidden trails available to the community.”

—Stephanie Phillips, Riverfront North Partnership