Economic Impact Study Completed On Great Allegheny Passage

An economic impact study of the Great Allegheny Passage trail. indicated that in 2008 the trail produced an impact of $40 million in direct spending, including $7.5 million in wages, compared to $7.3 million in direct spending in 2001. Cathy McCollom of the Trail Town Program says that she expects the economic impact to continue to grow as the county comes out of a recession and the trails popularity increases. Some of the findings of the report include: the majority of trail users are between 45-54 years old, overnight visitors spend an average of $98 a day as opposed to local trail users spending $31 a day, more than one quarter of businesses reported expansions or expansion plans within the next year, and businesses reported an average of 25 percent of sales attributable to the Great Allegheny Passage.