Article on rails to trails around Pittsburgh
Last edited Thu Jun 6, 2013, 04:25 PM - Edit history (1)
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/regions-growing-system-of-trails-benefits-bikers-hikers-and-communities-690522/
Bike shop owner Floyd Macheska is emphatic about how important construction of the Great Allegheny Passage has been to West Newton and to his business.
"The trail brought this town back to life," he said.
Mr. Macheska estimated that about 60 percent of the customers at his West Newton Bike Shop come through the door because of the nearby hiking and cycling trail. His business on Main Street is about a block from the rails-to-trails route that links Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md.
The Great Allegheny Passage is the longest and best known of southwestern Pennsylvania's recreational trails. Passing through Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties, the 150-mile-long trail connects to the C&O Canal Towpath at Cumberland.
It is part of a growing regional system that has forged new links among communities and that supporters say offers new economic opportunities.
Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/regions-growing-system-of-trails-benefits-bikers-hikers-and-communities-690522/#ixzz2VTDZK9jl
Another article on the trails:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-east/ride-festivities-planned-on-last-leg-of-great-allegheny-passage-690586/