Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has named Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) America’s 2020 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion.

Congress passed the $900 billion COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020, a wide-ranging economic stimulus package that includes support for transportation systems.

We take a closer look at some of the country’s earliest rail-trails, and how they helped inspire and build a nationwide movement.

As 2020 draws to a close—a year of extreme changes and challenges—it is with incredible appreciation that we reflect on the collective impact of our movement across the country.

Nearly three decades after its inception, the need for the RTP has only intensified as trail development accelerates nationally. The country has increased its number of rail-trails from around 500 to more than 2,200.

For nearly three decades, Transportation Alternatives (TA) has been the largest source of federal funding for trails and active transportation, providing more than $15 billion for more than 36,000 projects.

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear.

RTC’s study “Active Transportation Transforms America” finds trails deliver potential economic benefits of $138.5 billion annually.

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) recently approved more than $280 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) funding (Cycle 4) to support 59 trail, walking and biking projects throughout the state, with about half—some $139 million—going to trails and separated bikeway projects (hereafter collectively referred to as “trails”).