Connected Systems Page 6

Nebraska's MoPac Trail East and West

Posted 05/12/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Nebraska, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Mopac Trail West | Photo courtesy Market to Market Relay

Exciting change is literally afoot in the Cornhusker State. Omaha currently ranks among the top 50 of America’s Best Bike Cities, and less than a dozen miles separate its trail system from Lincoln’s. The MoPac Trail, which will join them, is also a key piece of a bigger puzzle, the developing Quad State Trail, a regional network which will span more than 700 miles in four Midwestern states: Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

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Atlanta's Eastside Trail | Photo by Ryan Gravel

Transforming Atlanta

Posted 04/21/15 by Rebecca Serna in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Georgia, Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Today, a decade and a half after Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel laid out a simple, elegant vision for Atlanta's former railroad tracks in his master’s thesis, it’s safe to say that the city is once again being shaped by the convergence of railroad tracks and development.

Photo by Scott Hagan | Courtesy Clark County, Nevada

Nevada’s Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail

Posted 04/10/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Nevada, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Las Vegas: The name conjures up bright lights, flamboyant shows, glitzy hotels and casinos that never close, but a growing outdoor movement is changing that perception. Get the scoop on the 13.4-mile Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail, which comprises the trail network’s eastern arc and is always a sure bet with beautiful parks, desert landscapes and vistas of the rugged mountains that ring the valley.

Photo by Steve Shaluta, courtesy Mon River Trails Conservancy

West Virginia's Mon River Trails

Posted 02/11/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, IHTC, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful

“Wild and Wonderful” is West Virginia’s slogan, but the same could be said of the Mon River Trail system in the north-central part of the state. The beauty of the trail network spiraling out of Morgantown is that you have access to four trails—and four unique experiences—all in one interconnected system spanning nearly 50 miles.

Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail, officially opened Jan. 5, 2015 | Photo courtesy Prein & Newhof, Inc.

Plenty of Partnerships in This Trail Mix: Evolution of a Michigan Trail

Posted 02/05/15 by Nancy Krupiarz in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Michigan, Success Stories

They say, “Good things come to those who wait.” This is certainly true for the Friends of the Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail. With the official opening of the 42-mile Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail on Jan. 5, 2015, its journey—22 years after the Central Michigan Railroad officially terminated service on the corridor, came to a glorious end. The completed trail, which includes nine bridges and trestles, will showcase the Maple and Grand rivers, fertile farm fields, woodlands and five quaint communities conveniently spaced 8 to 10 miles apart along its length.

A section of the Allegheny River Trail near Emlenton, Pa. | Photo by Tom Bilcze

Teacher Provides a Lesson in Trail Building

Posted 09/25/14 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Connected Systems, Pennsylvania, Success Stories

Personable, kind, decisive: These traits made Jim Holden both a good teacher and a trail visionary. While a professor of computer science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania more than two decades ago, he recognized the importance of preserving disused rail corridors for public use.

Photo © B. Kraig McLane

How One RTC Grant Will Unlock Florida's Latest Long Distance Rail-Trail

Posted 09/05/14 by Ken Bryan in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Florida, RTC in Action

The Palatka Trail, through Putnam County in the northern part of the state, is part of a grand effort to connect a trail system between St. Augustine and Lake City. RTC's latest Project Support Grant—funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation—is making possible the short extension of the Palatka Rail Trail west to U.S. 17.

All photos courtesy Columbia Parks and Recreation

Ties That Bind: A New Trail System Is Creating—and Strengthening—Connections in Columbia, Mo.

Posted 08/26/14 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, Missouri, Products of Good Policy, State and Federal Programs

Columbia, Mo., is a city with a few tricks up its sleeve. Its charm starts slowly, unassumingly, disguised as just another Midwestern college town, but after spending some time there, exploring the tree-lined streets by foot or riding part of the trail system, you may just become hooked. And you wouldn’t be the first to fall under Columbia’s charismatic spell.

Photo © Streetsblog USA

An Engineering Wonder, a Bike Commuter’s Dream: The Cal Park Hill Tunnel

Posted 08/12/14 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with California, Connected Systems, Design Strategies, Products of Good Policy, State and Federal Programs

Christina Toms’ commute is the definition of multi-modal. From her front door in Fairfax, Calif., she hops on her bike and cruises down to the Larkspur ferry terminal. From there, she catches the ferry that brings her across the bay to the city of San Francisco. That commute is possible in large part to the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, an engineering triumph that makes the vital connection between San Rafael and Larkspur in Marin County, Calif.

Photo © Mighk Wilson/Commute Orlando

By Rail and Trail: SunRail Service Opens a Whole New World on Florida's East Coast

Posted 08/05/14 by Jake Lynch in Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, Florida, Rail-with-Trail, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

2014 has already been a huge year for trails in Florida, with funding secured for the Coast-to-Coast Connector project, the All Aboard Florida rail-with-trail proposal building steam and locals beating back a number of political threats to active transportation.