The Quad Cities is at the center of a cross country bike trail, but it needs more government funding to be completed. On Wednesday, cyclists, elected officials and members of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, or RTC, promoted this section of the Great American Rail-Trail in Davenport and Moline.
The trail goes from Washington, D.C. to Washington state for 3,700 miles, but only about half has been completed.
Patrick Wojahn, the Director of Government Relations for RTC who also happens to be the mayor of College Park, MD, says the national trail can only be completed with support from the government.
"These trails are built through great partnerships between the federal, state and local governments. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to build the trail networks that will continue to transform communities in the years ahead."
Visit Quad Cities CEO Dave Herrell says that the trail is a huge selling point for locals and tourists alike.
"Having that as an asset is something that we can use from a branding perspective, from how we tell our story to how we sell our story. And how we get Quad Citizens and visitors off the couch and active is a really important piece for where our future destination is going to head."
The trail goes through Indiana up to Chicago, crosses northern Illinois to the Quad Cities, and travels through central Iowa to Nebraska before heading to the West Coast.