Building Trails

New Guidance for Transportation Alternatives: Transformative Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 04/07/22 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Federal, Funding, Recreational Trails Program, State and Federal Programs, Transportation Alternatives

Last week, the federal officials released new guidance on the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside. This guidance instructs state departments of transportation (DOTs) on how to implement the TA funding in alignment with policy changes included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Breaking News: The Rock Island Trail Is a 144-Mile On track to Be Game-Changer for Missouri

Posted 12/14/21 by Cindy Barks in Taking Action, Building Trails, Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Missouri, Rock Island, RTC in Action, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

Governor Mike Parson and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced that they have officially railbanked the 144-mile Rock Island Railroad corridor between Windsor and Beaufort, Missouri. The governor’s announcement comes after decades of advocacy and negotiations, marking the final step in railbanking the corridor, which is now destined to be preserved—and enjoyed—as a trail.

2021 RTC Fall Trail Grants Supporting Equitable Trail Access Around the Nation

Posted 11/17/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Connected Systems, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Route of the Badger, TrailNation

On Nov. 17, RTC announced the recipients of over $300,000 in grants as part of the 2021 Trail Grants Program. These grants were given to 45 organizations around the country to advance trail projects in their communities as part of TrailNation™ networks and along the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail™.

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Posey & Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana

Posted 06/25/21 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Indiana

On or about June 15, 2021, Indiana Southwestern Railway Company filed for the abandonment of 20.4 miles of track between Cynthiana and Evansville in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Vigo County, Indiana

Posted 05/03/21 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Indiana

Richmond Industrial Trail Will Transform Neighborhoods and Lives in North Philadelphia

Posted 04/19/21 by Paola Tejada Lalinde in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Art, Circuit Trails, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, TrailNation

A vision for a 1.9-mile walking and biking greenway is taking shape along the Richmond Industrial Track—a railroad corridor in North Philadelphia that has seen decline in recent decades, but is undergoing renewal. The developing multiuse path—aptly named the Richmond Industrial Trail—is a first-of-its-kind project in the area that will connect five communities and serve more than 40,000 residents living within a half-mile of the corridor.

Richmond Industrial Trail transformará vecindarios y vidas en el norte de Filadelfia

Posted 04/19/21 by Paola Tejada Lalinde in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Art, Circuit Trails, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers

La visión de una vía verde de 1,9 millas para caminar y andar en bicicleta está tomando forma a lo largo de Richmond Industrial Track, un corredor ferroviario en el norte de Filadelfia que ha experimentado un declive en las últimas décadas, pero está siendo renovado. El sendero multiusos en desarrollo, acertadamente llamado Richmond Industrial Trail, es un proyecto único en su tipo en el área que conectará cinco comunidades, incluidas Kensington, East Kensington, Fairhill, Olde Richmond y Port Richmond, y servirá a más de 40 000 residentes que viven a media milla del corredor. Los esfuerzos centrados en la comunidad para construir el sendero mejorarán la economía local y beneficiarán la salud y la seguridad públicas, al tiempo que conectarán a los residentes con espacios verdes, opciones de transporte público, instituciones ancla, arterias principales del sendero y múltiples proyectos emergentes de desarrollo comunitario.

2021 Trail Grants Awardees Support Community Connections On and Off Trails

Posted 03/15/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Building Trails | Tagged with Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington

RTC has announced the recipients of its 2021 Trail Grants Program, awarding a total of $145,000 to support 11 trail projects across the country that have been strategically designed to support local and regional economic, health, social, environmental and active transportation goals.

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Boone County, West Virginia

Posted 03/11/21 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, West Virginia

On or about Feb. 25, 2021, CSX Transportation, Inc. filed for the abandonment of 9.9 miles of track in Boone County, West Virginia. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 Makes Funding Available for Transportation

Posted 01/25/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Federal, Funding, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

The 116th Congress passed the $900 billion COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020, a wide-ranging economic stimulus package that includes support for transportation systems impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The package contains $14 billion for transit and $10 billion in flexible transportation funding for states and regions to support projects, maintenance, operations, personnel and debt service payments. The Federal Highway Administration must allocate the stimulus dollars to states by Jan. 27, 2020

American Icons: Rail-Trails That Helped Shape the National Landscape

Posted 01/22/21 by Amy Kapp in Policy, America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Federal, History Happened Here, Illinois, Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Alternatives

Over the last 60 years, rail-trails have gone from a quiet idea to pillars of America’s social, health, economic, environmental and transportation landscapes—with more than 2,200 rail-trails today encompassing some 24,000+ miles across the United States. Here, as Rails-to-Trails Conservancy celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, we take a closer look at some of the country’s earliest rail-trails, and how they helped inspire and build a nationwide movement.