Rails-to-Trails

View from behind of woman wearing helmet on bicycle riding on concrete causeway with water on either side.

A National Bike Trail Network Is Slowly Growing

Around the United States, new bike lanes and trails are connecting communities via two (or three) wheels.

March 20, 2024 - Associated Press

Aerial view of Atlanta BeltLine trail with colorful outdoor patio umbrellas and buildings.

Atlanta Eliminates Parking Mandates Near BeltLine

Developments near the city’s popular greenway will no longer be subject to minimum parking requirements to make way for more effective development.

February 8, 2024 - Urbanize Atlanta

Sign for Great Western Trail near Chicago, Illinois.

Advocates Champion the Great Western Trail

A Chicago walking and biking trail along a former railroad right-of-way has been a labor of love for local residents.

January 14, 2024 - Active Transportation Alliance

Heritage Rail Trail County Park, York, Pennsylvania with railroad next to unpaved walking/biking trail and sun filtering through green trees

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Issues 2022 Grants

The organization awarded 25 grants for projects that promote outdoor recreation and access to trail facilities for underserved communities.

November 22, 2022 - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Cross Country Bike Trail

Revealed: A Plan to Build a Continuous Bike Trail Across the United States

Motorists have been able to drive across the country for more than a century. People on bikes will get their day soon, too.

May 12, 2019 - CityLab

25 Years of Rails-To-Trails Success on St. Petersburg's Pinellas Trail

A bike trail can be much more than a bike trail.

December 3, 2015 - Tampa Bay Times

Details on Cincinnati's Ambitious Wasson Way Bike Trail Proposal

There's still a long way to go to get to the finish line on the conversion of a rail corridor into a bike trail that could connect important parts of the city, but Cincinnati is currently pulling lots of purse strings to make it happen.

December 2, 2015 - Cincinnati Business Courier

The Recently Opened Manayunk Bridge in Philadelphia Is a Big Deal

As a symbol of a changing economy and a changing city, the rails-to-trails conversion of the Manayunk Bridge in Philadelphia bears close scrutiny.

November 3, 2015 - Plan Philly

21,000 Miles Later: The History of Rails-to-Trails

CityLab presents a feature extravaganza about the nation's 21,000-mile-long network of trails converted from former rail lines.

July 15, 2015 - CityLab

Supreme Court Delivers Blow to Rails-to-Trails

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a private land owner in Wyoming, who sued to reclaim land once granted to a railroad under an 1875 law. The ruling undermines the legality of the nation’s network of public trails built on former rail right-of-way.

March 11, 2014 - SCOTUS Blog

Lebanon Valley Rail Trail

Supreme Court Will Hear Rail-Trails Case

A dispute over ownership of a strip of abandoned Pacific Railroad Company line in Wyoming will test the legal underpinnings of thousands of miles of rail-trails throughout the Unites States.

October 25, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Return of Industry Brings First Ever Trail-to-Rail Conversion in Michigan

Michigan is a national leader in rail-to-trail conversions, but a mining company in the Upper Peninsula will necessitate the first "reactivation" of a trail in the state. The federal Rails to Trails law sanctions such conversions.

August 5, 2013 - Detroit Free Press

Cleveland Mulls Massive Rails-to-Trails Conversion

In addition to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Jersey City, add Cleveland to the list of cities inspired by New York's High Line to consider converting its old rail infrastructure into an open space amenity.

July 14, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

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