Tennessee Governor allocates $2.4 Million toward Tweetsie Trail expansion

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – At the end of 2023, a proposal was sent to Governor Bill Lee asking for funds to create a section of the Tweetsie Trail stretching from Johnson City to Jonesborough.

Governor Lee’s recently released budget for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year shows $2.4 million allocated to the “First Frontier Trail,” which refers to the Tweetsie Trail Expansion.

“We’ve been talking about improving our trail system and connecting it to the Tweetsie,” said Jonesborough Mayor Chuck Vest. “And we’re fortunate that the Governor is going to support it.

Matthew Paul, one of Ride JC’s founders, was involved in writing the proposal to the Governor. He said he wanted to ensure that the process involved community input.

“I really made sure that I went out and we did surveys to the communities,” said Paul. “We talked to people and asked, “What would make this trail useful for you? What would make it fun to get out and to try it?”

Paul lives in Jonesborough, works in Johnson City, and commutes on his bike. He said he hopes the trail extension will increase safety for those traveling from one end to the other.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us to really provide a space to recreate,” said Paul. “But also to connect communities together in a way that we haven’t been able to get to before.

Mayor Vest said the funding is coming in at just the right time.

“This will allow us to go to our city limits,” said Vest. “People in Jonesborough, because we’ve had a trail system for many decades now, they’re used to walking, they’re used to using these trails and to allow this expansion is just going to allow them to go more places.”

Vest and Paul said the next steps involve deciding where those funds will go.

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