STEUBENVILLE — Trail enthusiasts figure if there was ever a time to make a case for plugging the 28.2 mile gap in the Great American Rail-Trail between Steubenville and Jewett it’s now, when there’s millions of American Rescue Plan dollars that haven’t been allocated.

“All the momentum was lost until recently,” said Terry McKeegan media representative for the Ohio-West Virginia Ad Hoc Committee for the Great American Trail. “We’re trying to get things moving again. There’s a real urgency to have this project (prioritized). This stretch is the first that’s not finalized, everything else from D.C. to Weirton is already in place, a dedicated trail for pedestrians and bikers.”

Outdoor enthusiasts say the 3,700-mile Great American Trail’s economic impact will be massive: A study released by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy two years ago, just before COVID locked the country down, had pointed out that more than 221,000 people are living within a short half-mile of the corridor. It outlined the “vision” for the corridor, as well as the opportunities, challenges and costs associated with its completion, pointing out that, “even beyond local communities, this part of the country is accessible to a vast number of people.”

With local governments meeting in the coming week to figure out how they want to spend millions in federal COVID recovery funding, McKeegan said they need to make sure their voices are heard.

“We want to make sure we have a finalized plan that could be included in some of this recovery funding,” he said, pointing out the funds are “primarily supposed to be used for infrastructure and transportation.”

On the West Virginia side, the conservancy had proposed two alternatives to complete the last 4.3 miles of trail from where the Panhandle trail currently ends to the Ohio River: Either following Freedom Way to Main Street “via a two-way bike path occupying the westernmost lane of traffic” to Walnut Street, then tie in with an off-road corridor; or paralleling Military Drive past the Brooke-Hancock County Veterans Memorial Park northward using an abandoned railroad bridge, paralleling Harmon Creek for three-quarters of a mile to a proposed on-road corridor. Either way, the conservancy says the trail should connect to the Panhandle Trail at McKims Ridge Road.

On the Ohio side, McKeegan said there are also two options: One would be to create a dedicated bike lane that would run through the downtown to Franklin, then connect to Belleview and follow an old road running from the edge of Belleview Park down the hill to U.S. Route 22, while the other option would literally develop a riverfront trail running north to the marina and south to another riverfront park.

“We’re looking at doing one of two options now, but in the long run, I hope we can do both,” he said, adding that Franciscan University of Steubenville owns the old road that would run from Belleview down to U.S. Route 22 and is “very supportive.”

“Right now, (the dedicated bike lane through town) seems like that might be a less challenging route to get online, sooner rather than later,” he said. “Frankly, one of the biggest issues with the riverfront trail is that at a point just north of the marina, the (trail would) get very close to the railroad tracks — there’s just not a lot of space next to the tracks as you get further north, but it’s an active railroad and they like to have space. There are also a few private landowners north of the marina, so you’d have to work out an arrangement with them. So you have to look at what is feasible to have online, fairly soon.”

He pointed out that bike trails and riverfront development tend to spur business investment.

“Around the country, anywhere where there is a pedestrian and biking trail on the riverfront, it immediately brings development to that area,” he said. “Everyone is looking for additional opportunities for recreation. We really do have beautiful riverfront in Steubenville, it’s just that right now it’s cut off from the community.”

He said the ad hoc committee will be meeting in the near future to try to build a consensus.

“We have a few paths, we need to get everybody on the same page,” he said. “This presents a unique challenge, two states and three counties. It’s a great opportunity for teamwork among all the different agencies. I think I see the will there. I saw it before COVID. I think everyone really wants to see this happen. There are really viable alternatives, we just have to decide on one.”