Q: The AJC had a story in August about CSX possibly abandoning a section of rail in Cobb County, clearing the way for the expansion of the Silver Comet Trail. The article cited a study by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, which stated the trail’s economic impact to Georgia amounted to $118 million and 1,300 jobs. What specific costs/activities do these numbers comprise and over what time period? Are there any ongoing economic benefits to our state?
—Alfred Tucker, East Point
A: The $118 million is the estimated annual economic impact from recreational and tourist spending once the Silver Comet Trail is completed and "ramps up to full usage," Lee Huang, senior vice president and principal of Econsult Solutions Inc. told Q&A on the News via email.
Brittain Storck, a principal at Alta Planning and Design, said in an interview that the estimate was an annual recurring cost, which was a “very conservative” amount. The trail currently runs from Smyrna to Alabama.
“Bicycle tourism is starting to become a really popular thing, and that’s the folks that ride extended miles,” she said. “It’s a real catalyst for spending, I think.”
Alta analyzed investments in the trail and Econsult Solutions studied the economic benefits in a 2013 study for the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.
The $118 million includes direct spending by users, such as equipment rentals and dining; tourism activity, such as hotel stays; impact on the tax base and property values; and new development, according to the commission and report.
The 2013 study estimated out-of-state visitors will spend $109 in a day on the trail, and in-state visitors will spend an estimated $103.
“Recreational and tourism spending combined represent $57 million now from the current Silver Comet Trail and $86 million in the future from the expanded Silver Comet Trail,” according to the study’s economic impact summary.
Recreational and visitor spending provides ongoing economic and tax revenue gains, Huang said.
Q&A on the News runs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Ashlyn Webb contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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