Illinois is very close to closing the gaps on the Great American Railroad, an ambitious project initiated by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to create a continuous 3,700-mile trail between Washington, D.C., and Washington state.
When the Illinois section is completed, it will be a nearly 200-mile continuous ride from the Indiana state line to the Mississippi River. This is the type of track that tests your pedal power and will transform the rider as much as the cities it passes through. Completing the trail could be the perfect New Year’s resolution.
Achieving the goal
Jason Chaney wrote in his essay Manifestation Equation“Specific goals serve as beacons to guide our efforts, allowing us to navigate the seas of life with clarity and purpose. Unlike the elusive concept of “eventually,” concrete deadlines motivate us to action. They turn dreams into tangible goals and turn aspirations into achievable milestones. It’s the difference between aimless wandering and purposeful travel.” This purposeful journey can be the physical act of tackling a long trail or a metaphor for setting a challenging and specific goal.
Dave Simmons, Executive Director Trip Illinois, wants to complete the route from the building’s point of view. “Efforts to close the gap have been ongoing for more than 30 years. Considering local, state and national interests, this time feels different. Ride Illinois’ wishes for 2024 are for the feasibility study to include minimal hurdles and for planning for several sections of the trail in the gap to begin next year.
“Ride Illinois is encouraged by the ongoing efforts to close three of the four gaps on Great American Railroad Illinois route. The feasibility study for the gap between LaSalle and Bureau Junction is an important step, and we look forward to completing the study in spring 2024.”
The 15-mile gap Simmons refers to is the largest on the Illinois route. It separates two magnificent Illinois Bike Routes. The 61-mile Illinois & Michigan State Trail, designated as America’s first National Heritage Area, will connect to the 105-mile Hennepin Canal State Trail and become the “belt buckle” of the Great American Railroad into the state, as local organizers like to say. Visitors will have over 180 miles of trails to explore, with campgrounds and towns throughout the trail network.
“The population of Illinois and all surrounding states is approximately 45 million people. The positive economic impact on the state of Illinois and communities along the route cannot be understated. When the trail is completed, people will come here in droves,” Simmons says.
Business and tourism development
In accordance with Environmental protection from rails to trails50 million people live within 50 miles of the Great American Railroad. Once completed, the entire route could generate $230 million a year for visitors. For Illinois businesses, that could be $18.8 million per year.
Brandi Horton, vice president of communications for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, agrees. “If we just close this 15-mile gap, and I can tell you from what we’re seeing across the country, what can happen. It’s incredible when you connect the routes. Trail use could grow by as much as 80% because people want safe and convenient ways to bike, walk and be active outdoors.”
The proof of this concept is the 240 mile race. Katy Trail, America’s longest railroad line across the Mississippi River in Missouri. What started in the 1980s as a vision and access road in Colombia has become a real tourist attraction. Wineries, restaurants and bed and breakfasts serve half a million trail visitors annually and generate an economic impact of $29.2 million annually.
Completing Katie’s Trail was the team effort of many advocates, including Edward D. “Ted” Jones, Jr. Ted and his wife Pat. They donated $2.2 million to purchase 200 miles of abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad tracks for Katy Trail State Park. The CT scan was completed in 1990, six months before Ted’s death. In many ways, the wheel of life has come full circle since Ted first met Pat on a bicycle ride from St. Louis to the Ozarks in 1940.
Bicycle culture
It is widely believed that Ted Jones was inspired to create the Katy Trail while traveling on a railroad in Wisconsin in the late 1980s. Wisconsin is the best state for cyclists. The Elroy-Sparta route is often considered the first rail route in the United States, and Madison, Wisconsin is consistently ranked as one of the best cycling cities in the country. Madison has more than 200 miles of bike paths and the largest number of parks per capita in the country. It is, perhaps not coincidentally, the second-fittest city in the country, according to the 2022 American Fitness Index.
Rob Gard, director of communications and public relations of the company Direction Madison, explains, “Madison has a long and strong cycling culture. We are one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, praised for the way our bike trails and paths connect neighborhoods, parks, businesses and culture. There are approximately 4,000 bike trips on our bike paths every day, and that doesn’t include many streets and other parts of the county. In fact, we install bike lanes in front of many of our streets in the winter because so many people rely on these paths to get to work and school year-round. Whether you’re a daily commuter or a weekend commuter, biking into Madison is a great way to experience the city.”
Renee Callaway City of Madison The Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator says, “As soon as you step foot in Madison, it’s hard to miss all the people biking. You’ll see people biking to run errands, work and school, as well as people enjoying a leisurely ride around one of our lakes, going on long rides around the neighborhood, heading to the bike path, or even enjoying a ride around the neighborhood. one of the lakes in our city when they froze. Some days it will seem like everyone is out for a ride, and on the coldest, snowiest days of winter, you’ll never be the only one out on a bike.”
Rest and health
Cassie Mordini, Community Development and Communications Specialist at Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, believes that cycling is more than just commuting to work. “Biking is so much more than a way to get from point A to point B in Wisconsin. It is a powerful driver of our outdoor recreation economy. Iconic brands like Trek and Schwinn call the Madison area home. Our world-class competitions attract cyclists from all over the country. And Wisconsin’s cycling infrastructure—both urban and rural—brings communities closer together.”
Consumers in Wisconsin spend more than $1 billion on bicycle-related expenses, according to a 2019 study. Outdoor Industry Association, but health experts might call it a bargain. Based on 2021 data. University of Wisconsin study: “An estimated 20,000 deaths due to chronic disease could be prevented if major U.S. cities increased cycling to 6 percent, the same as Madison, Wisconsin.”
The Great American Rail-Trail in Illinois will generate 2.1 million trips per year, according to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s impact study. Perhaps more important is the inspiration for millions of people to take multi-day cycling trips and the direct benefits it will bring to their health and to dozens of small towns. Who knows? They can find their true love on two wheels. Ted and Pat definitely did.
