A National Bike Trail Network Is Slowly Growing

In an article for the Associated Press, Jeff McMurray describes how new federal grants could help bike advocates and transportation departments around the country build more protected biking and walking infrastructure and connect existing trails.

Although the 2021 infrastructure law allocated as much as $1 billion to these efforts, Congress has so far allocated just under $45 million. However, advocates are cheered by the commitment to biking and walking that has been absent in prior administrations.

The funding is particularly aimed at closing gaps in existing systems, such as the Great American Rail-Trail, a series of trails across 12 states that amounts to 3,700 miles of bike trails, but has significant gaps between segments.