Nearly three decades after its inception, the need for the RTP has only intensified as trail development accelerates nationally. The country has increased its number of rail-trails from around 500 to more than 2,200.

In Illinois, a good portion of what remains is found almost exclusively along the railroad corridors that crisscross swaths of intensely farmed, highly prized agricultural land.

For nearly three decades, Transportation Alternatives (TA) has been the largest source of federal funding for trails and active transportation, providing more than $15 billion for more than 36,000 projects.

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear.

This year, America and the rail-trail movement saw giant leaps, and small-but-no-less-important bounds, that have helped to achieve RTC’s goal of connecting the country by trail like never before.

I had the pleasure of chatting with President Ryan Chao on how RTC is making this work happen in collaboration with thousands of partners and trail advocates across the country.

The 43-mile Longleaf Trace takes trail users from Prentiss to Hattiesburg, connecting through tunnels, over bridges and wetlands.

This is what Illinois’ Route 66 Trail is working to achieve: a long-distance trail from Chicago to St. Louis; an opportunity to revitalize communities and experience Route 66 as never before.

The Warren County Bikeway runs 10 miles between Glens Falls and Lake George, about an hour’s drive north of Albany.