Comprised of a surface of small, packed gravel, Tweetsie Trail provides opportunities for walking, running, and bicycling amenities along the trail include benches, informational signs describing the history and geology of the area, mile markers, pedestrian boardwalk bridges, pedestrian crosswalks, bike racks, pavilions, a quarry overlook, an outdoor classroom space, paved parking areas, and trail maps. The trail also provides access and linkages to many K-12 schools, East Tennessee State University, Sycamore Shoals State Park, many local businesses, and several residential areas. Financially supported through a public-private partnership, the trail serves residents of Johnson City, Carter County, and Elizabethton with a means of alternative transportation between the cities. The first seven mile segment opened in August of 2014, and the final three mile segment opened in August 2015. The Johnson City Metropolitan Planning Organization, Carter County, City of Elizabethton, Town of Jonesborough, City of Johnson City, Washington County, Town of Unicoi, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and a team of consultants comprised of Alta Greenways, Parsons Brinkerhoff, and the Bradley Arant Boult law firm compiled a master plan, which outlined existing conditions and goals for the trail. After purchasing the out-of-service rail corridor in 2013, the City of Johnson City held public meetings to solicit feedback as to the best use of the corridor. The Tweetsie Trail is a rails-to-trails project traversing 10 miles of the former East Tennessee and Western North Carolina (ET&WNC) railroad between Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee. GreenTrips is primarily funded by the federal CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) Improvement Program. The RPA administers the program throughout the Chattanooga-Hamilton County-North Georgia-Transportation Planning Organization area (TPO). GreenTrips launched as a pilot program of the Strategic Long Range Planning department of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (RPA). To date, over 1,700 individuals have signed up for the program and have logged over 300,000 trips. From its public launch in June 2013 through the end of December 2016, the GreenTrips program has avoided over 2.1 million pounds of airborne pollution and over 3.1 million miles of single-occupant vehicle driving. Members earn prizes for walking, cycling, carpooling, taking public transportation, or working a compressed schedule or from home instead of driving alone. GreenTrips is a transportation demand management program that aims to reduce emissions from mobile sources by rewarding Chattanooga and Hamilton County area residents for taking more sustainable trips.
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