With the expert guidance of Alta Planning + Design and National Park Service, Great Springs Project is proud to present the Economic Benefits Report for the trail from the Alamo to the Capitol to quantify the financial return from the 100+-mile trail network and 50,000 conserved acres of land in the GSP corridor. The report includes economic, health, environmental, and transportation cost savings as well as climate change data including carbon sequestration.

The analysis estimated the number of bicycle and pedestrian trips that would take place on the trail system; approximated the corresponding reduction in vehicle trips and vehicle-miles travelled (VMT); assessed the potential benefits that would accrue once the entire trail system is constructed; and assessed the ecosystem services benefits associated with land conservation adjacent to the trail corridor.

In total, it was estimated that the proposed trail system and related land conservation efforts could generate $55.9 million in annual benefits, organized around the following categories:
  • Economic Benefits: includes estimated spending from non-local visitors to the trail on goods, services, and lodging
  • Transportation Benefits: includes reductions in vehicle miles traveled and the associated reduction in congestion, collision, roadway maintenance costs, and emissions (CO2, NOx, SOx, and particulate matter)
  • Health Benefits: includes increased physical activity and decreased healthcare costs
  • Land & Water Benefits: includes the ecosystem services benefits related to land and water conservation and carbon sequestration benefits from land conservation
Click here to view the Great Springs Trail Economic Benefits Report