BROWNSVILLE, Texas (April 18, 2018) – At a Regular Meeting on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, the Brownsville City Commission voted to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Brownsville and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) for the Battlefield Trail Extension Project.
The Battlefield Trail Extension Project will provide a 1.8-mile extension to the City of Brownsville’s Historic Battlefield Trail, the first phase of a plan to connect Brownsville with Los Fresnos by trail.
The Battlefield Trail extension is one of six high-priority “catalyst projects” in the development of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Transportation and Tourism Plan (Active Plan), a 428-mile trail network designed to strengthen the region’s health and economy.
The Active Plan was developed by 10 Cameron County municipalities—Brownsville, Harlingen, Combes, Los Fresnos, Los Indios, Port Isabel, San Benito, South Padre Island, Laguna Vista and Rancho Viejo—with funding from the 10 municipalities and the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation. It is one of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s eight TrailNation™ projects. The plan includes a combination of multi-use trails, U.S. Bicycling Routes and paddling trails located within population centers that ensure accessibility to all Cameron County residents.
“The Active Plan, and the support we’ve had to begin implementing it and building catalyst trail projects like the Battlefield Trail, has the potential to bring incredible opportunity to the Valley—creating new community assets and showcasing the wonderful natural, historic and cultural assets that are already here,” said Rose M.Z. Gowen, M.D., Brownsville City Commissioner At-Large, “B”, member of the Active Plan team and a board member of RTC. “We know can be a leader in the country’s rapidly expanding active tourism industry, bringing new job and business opportunities to Cameron County.”
Visit www.railstotrails.org/LRGV for more details about Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Plan, Active Plan catalyst projects and TrailNation.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines. TrailNation is RTC’s trail network building initiative, designed to demonstrate the outcomes that trail networks deliver in every type of community. Connect with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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