Thermal Belt Rail Trail Wins NCDOT Mobi Award Honorable Mentions
Multiuse Trail Honored in Two Award Categories
Thermal Belt Rail Trail Project Wins
The Thermal Belt Rail Trail project was nominated for two Mobi Award categories: tourism and MVP (most voted project) – see category breakdown below. We are proud to announce that the Thermal Belt Rail Trail won Honorable Mention for both categories! It is a huge accomplishment for this project to be recognized for 2 categories out of the 68 participating projects. The project received over 11,500 votes for the MVP project, showing how much this trail means to these communities. Congratulations to all of the winners!
What are the Mobi Awards?
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Mobi Awards recognize the state’s top projects that highlight the transformative role of multimodal – bicycle, pedestrian, rail, highway, transit, ferry, and aviation – transportation. These types of projects are critical in providing connections from place to place and making North Carolina more accessible and appealing for both citizens and visitors. The NCDOT website states that the Mobi Awards “represent a multimodal focus that is at the heart of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s mission to leverage all of the state’s transportation infrastructure to ensure a strong economy for future generations.”
Award Categories and Evaluation Criteria
The Mobi Awards are broken down into six separate categories:
- Urban
- Suburban
- Rural
- Tourism
- Innovation
- Most Voted Project (MVP)
A panel of experts across the state judged and selected the winning projects (except for the MVP category) based upon multiple factors, including prompting investments, increasing economic growth, creating long-term jobs, promoting health, improving quality of life, and positively impacting the area. The MVP category was voted on by the public in an online format.
About the Thermal Belt Rail Trail
In November of 2019, the Thermal Belt Rail Trail officially opened to the public. The 13.5-mile multiuse trail was originally an abandoned rail corridor that was turned into a public trail, connecting communities throughout Rutherford County – including Spindale, Rutherfordton, Ruth, Forest City, and Gilkey. Since its opening, it has been a popular place for locals to walk, run, and bike, or pop off the trail to the Park Square Fitness Center pocket park, which offers six exercise stations. McGill is proud to have provided civil engineering and land planning and recreation services for this multiuse trail project.
Sharing in the Excitement
McGill is appreciative to have worked with such great communities that shared the goal of creating a trail that would enhance tourism, encourage economic growth, and provide health benefits for the community. We aspire to shape communities together with our clients, and it brings us joy to see that objective accomplished in our local communities.