(Washington, DC) — A new report details the economic benefits of a proposed pedestrian and bike trail running from Washington D-C to Washington state, including an Iowa segment stretching from the Mississippi River to the Missouri. Kevin Belanger (bah-LANJ-ur), project manager of the Great American Rail-Trail, says the ambitious effort could generate a major financial boost for the communities and states it serves. For Iowa, Belanger says they’re “projecting about 14-point-three million dollars in new annual visitor spending” once the trail is finished. The Great American Rail Trail would incorporate 28 existing trails in Iowa, including the Government-Arsenal Bridge at Davenport, the Iowa River Trail, and Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge linking Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska.
