Posted 4/18/13 on RTC (rails-to-trails):
When a rock slide forced the closure of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park at mile 155 near the Paw Paw Tunnel in western Maryland, it was bad news for the local and interstate trail users.
But it was also bad news for local businesses. This popular trail corridor, which attracts more than 4,700,000 visitors a year, is inextricably linked to the economies of the local communities. The opening of the towpath and its connection to the Great Allegheny Passage has been an enormous boost for the economy with 64.4 percent of businesses reporting revenue increases "at least somewhat as a direct result of the trail."
