Building Trails Page 7

10 Reasons the Circuit Trails Are Remarkable

Posted 02/11/16 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability

Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk, the Circuit Trails, Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Montgomery County Planning Commission

The Philadelphia region is home to one of the country’s largest trail networks, a visionary model that, when complete, will incorporate 750 miles of connected trails leading through urban landscapes and rural countryside. The system is called the Circuit Trails, and the network will be accessible to all residents and visitors, regardless of age, income or experience level.

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Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Mark Willard | CC by 2.0

Forty-Years-Unused Rail Line Could Mean Huge Connections for New Jersey

Posted 02/11/16 by Liz Sewell in Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Disparities and Underserved Communities, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities

If transformed into a trail, a disused rail segment in Pennsauken, New Jersey, near Merchantville, could help link underserved communities to amenities in New Jersey, Philadelphia and beyond. Read about this in-progress initiative.

San Francisco Bay Trail | Photo courtesy Tony Webster | CC by 2.0

Uniting the Bay: Trails Are Creating Healthy Communities in California

Posted 02/04/16 by Elizabeth Striano in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration

In 2014, RTC launched the Bay Area Trails Collaborative (BATC) to create a 1,000-mile interconnected system of trails and greenways in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently comprising more than 40 nonprofits, public agencies and private entities—the diverse group is speaking in a unified voice to regional and state planning authorities on behalf of trails.

Ocean City, New Jersey | Photo courtesy Betty Tsang | CC by 2.0

A Look Ahead in the Northeast: Transforming a South Jersey Destination

Posted 01/14/16 by Liz Sewell in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, New Jersey, RTC in Action, Tourism

As RTC celebrates its 30th year in 2016, we’re taking time to reflect on what’s been accomplished in the trail world and take a future-forward look at the work being done by our teams across the country. Learn what’s in store for RTC’s work in South Jersey, which includes helping to close gaps in two trails systems with the potential to impact tourism in the region and make new, safe connections for walkers and bikers.

Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, part of the Circuit Trails network | Photo courtesy Mark Willard | CC by 2.0

The Circuit Trails: Greater Philadelphia’s Burgeoning Trail Network

Posted 01/14/16 by Anya Saretzky in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action

In the Northeast part of the U.S., a bi-state project called the Circuit Trails is making waves in the walking and biking world. This network, when complete, will include 750 miles of trails in the Greater Philadelphia region covering nine counties in southeast Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

The Schuylkill River Trail, part of the Circuit Trails, a 750-Mile active-transportation network in the Greater Philadelphia Region | Photo courtesy Montgomery County Planning Commission | CC by 2.0

The Power of Trail Networks in Shaping the Future

Posted 01/12/16 by Elizabeth Striano in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Tourism and Economic Development, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

As we enter our 30th year, RTC’s vision of a nationwide network of trails and pathways continues to grow clearer with each new mile of trail opened. Increasingly, the focus of our movement has changed from single trails to interconnected trail networks, spanning cities and entire regions of the country.

Heritage Rail-Trail County Park in York, Pennsylvania, inducted into RTC's Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2015 | Photo by Carl Knoch

Oh, How Far We’ve Come: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Celebrates 30 Years

Posted 01/12/16 by Keith Laughlin in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, RTC in Action

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) opened its doors in 1986, we were aware of 250 miles of open rail-trail in America. Today, there are more than 21,000 miles enjoyed by tens of millions of Americans every year. As RTC celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2016, President Keith Laughlin takes time to ponder the success of the rail-trail movement by providing us with a quick glimpse back and future-forward look at its evolution.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Milo Bateman and Ken Bryan at Biscayne National Park near the Black Creek Trail in Florida | Photo courtesy Milo Bateman

Miami-to-Everglades Tour: Experience South Florida by Bike

Posted 01/08/16 by Ken Bryan in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Florida, RTC in Action, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations

There are rumors of a mid-January Arctic blast coming to the Midwest and eastern seaboard, but down here in the Sunshine State, we wouldn’t know much about that. We’re too busy riding bikes and enjoying the warm weather and great outdoor scenery Florida has to offer. And you can come join us! This winter, from Feb. 29 to March 3, 2016, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is hosting our premier Florida Sojourn—an exploration of the Greater Miami region’s growing trail network.

1432nd Engineering Company on the Iron Range Trail in Michigan | Photo by Master Sgt. Ron Raflik, Michigan National Guard

Michigan National Guard Lends a Hand in Unique Rail-Trail Partnership

Posted 12/23/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails | Tagged with Government Agencies, Maintenance and Volunteers, Michigan

Several years ago, the 1432nd Engineering Company of the Michigan National Guard was in a bit of a pinch. The newly trained horizontal engineering company needed a place to put their skills to practice, but the closest military facility was 300 miles away. So, they hit the trails.

Ricker Miller of Andover guides a recovered 1,400-pound milepost back into its proper place beside the Northern Rail Trail. | Photo by Ed Hiller

100-Plus-Year-Old Mileposts Returned to New Hampshire Rail-Trail

Posted 12/10/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Signage and Amenities, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Maintenance and Volunteers, New Hampshire

Here’s a fun one for all of you railroad history buffs; volunteers have just returned another 1,400-pound granite milepost to its original position along the Northern Rail Trail in Boscawen, New Hampshire—part of an ongoing effort to recover and return all 58 to their original positions between Concord and Lebanon. Only seven remain missing!

Delaware's Mike Castle Trail | Photo courtesy TrailLink.com/James McGinnis

Delaware Signs the Deal for Phase 1 of Georgetown-Lewes Rail-with-Trail

Posted 12/10/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Delaware, Rail-with-Trail, Walkability and Bikeability

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has just signed and sealed the contract deal for the construction of Phase I of the Georgetown-Lewes rail-with-trail project. When complete, the trail will be the longest in the state!

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath, part of the September 11th National Memorial Trail corridor | Photo courtesy PA DCNR

CSX Donates 130 Acres to Complete National September 11th Memorial Trail

Posted 12/09/15 by Kelly Pack in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

Earlier this Fall, CSX announced their donation of 130 acres to help complete the September 11th National Memorial Trail, a planned 1,300-mile multi-use trail that commemorates those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. The current corridor plan—shaped as a triangle—comprises a series of trail systems connecting the World Trade Center, Flight 93 and Pentagon memorials.