Washington, DC  -  The Chief Ladiga Trail, which runs through the heart of Jacksonville, should receive $100,000 in construction money in an appropriations bill moving through Congress, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Saks) said recently.

The federal funding, which Rogers said should help strengthen the area’s economy, will help complete the trail’s eastern and western portions, as well as connect the project at the Alabama border with the Georgia Silver Comet Trail. The bill containing the trail funding will soon move to the full House for consideration.

“Completing the Chief Ladiga Trail is critical for improving East Alabama’s economy,” Rogers said. “This funding should help draw more tourists to Jacksonville, and help create new jobs for Calhoun County residents.”

Rogers said the funding will help complete construction of the trail as well as complete any remaining work on some of the trail’s bridges. The Chief Ladiga Trail is Alabama's first rails-to-trails project, stretching 33 miles from the Alabama-Georgia state line to Anniston. After the trail is connected to the Georgia Silver Comet Trail, there will be an uninterrupted 90-mile corridor stretching from Atlanta to Anniston built solely for non-motorized traffic.