St. Tammany Parish is consistently ranked as the healthiest, most prosperous and desirable parish to live in Louisiana. One core reason is the existence of the Tammany Trace: a 31-mile rail-to-trail conversion passing through the heart of the Parish and all major historical quaint towns.
An inductee in the Rails to Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame, the first section of "The Trace" opened in 1994 and it became one of the first rail-trails in the country funded by landmark legislation that allowed federal transportation money to be spent on bicycling and walking projects.
I took on The Trace as a case study 10 years ago for my graduate terminal project in Urban Planning looking into the economic and livability benefits of multiuse trails. From intercept surveys back then, I found that The Trace has an estimated annual economic benefit of $3.356 million from direct spending and $3.9 million from indirect spending. The trailheads have also become cultural hubs and gathering places for events, drawing people to the parish and attracting people who want to become residents.
Rails to Trails Conservancy has my full study housed in their resource library found in the comment section below if interested. Included is a 'Lessons Learned' section that brings insight from my process of evaluating the Tammany Trace and other trail facilities into a list of lessons learned to bring a start to guidance for municipalities and regions that want to implement and/or improve their own successful trail facility.
Here is a ride from a visit a couple weeks ago starting out in Abita Springs and the world famous Abita Brewery, passing through a swamplands and piney woods landscape, then ending at the Covington trailhead.
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