In the second decade of the 20th century, the world was engulfed in war. The city of Memphis was an important center of military and industrial activity, yet there were few ways for goods and people to cross the mighty barrier that was the Mississippi River.
Ever since trains on the Mountain Goat Railroad stopped running in 1981, the people of the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee have wondered whether there was a way to turn this disused corridor into the asset and vibrant avenue it once was.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is leading the effort to provide education and resources related to MAP-21. In this blog series, we demonstrate how communities can leverage the programs funded by MAP-21. In our fourth post of this series, we examine innovative financing programs.
Geography and history gave the state of Virginia an abundance of railroad lines, many of which have fallen into disuse as the patterns of industry through the Appalachian Mountain region changed so much in the last century.
In 2012, the U.S. Congress adopted a new bill to govern surface transportation programs through September 2014. That bill, referred to now as MAP-21, provides opportunities for creative communities to develop good networks of trails and active transportation facilities. In our third post of this series, we examine the TIGER Program.
Created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the Prevention Fund is the nation's first large dedicated source of funds for preventing health problems. As we see in the above examples, making it easier for people to regularly walk or bike is a simple but powerful preventative medicine. Thanks to the Prevention Fund, relatively small investments in promoting walking and biking are saving the nation many billions of dollars in future healthcare costs.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is leading the effort to provide education and resources related to MAP-21. In this blog series, we demonstrate how communities can leverage the programs funded by MAP-21.
The determined grassroots effort in Danvers, Mass., to build their local rail-trail was typical of the kind of "can-do" attitude we often see behind successful rail-trail projects.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is leading the effort to provide education and resources related to MAP-21. In this blog series, we demonstrate how communities can leverage the programs funded by MAP-21. In this first piece, we examine the Surface Transportation Program, or STP.
Earlier today the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted a hearing on the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. As generally acknowledged, current funding sources for the Trust Fund (notably gasoline and diesel taxes) are not sufficient to maintain a reliable transportation system. You can read all the testimony from the hearing at the House website here.
The U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, says take a hike. We agree. Dr. Benjamin is getting set to issue a Call to Action urging Americans to walk, and is looking for ideas on how to get more Americans walking.
Yesterday, President Obama proposed a budget that would keep funding for core transportation programs even with the levels authorized in MAP-21, while adding $50 billion for immediate funding of transportation projects in key areas. The proposal also takes aim at some non-DOT programs of interest to the trail and active transportation constituencies.
