State approves $2.4M for Tweetsie Trail expansion

Gov. Bill Lee has approved $2.4 million in the state’s 2024-2025 Fiscal year Budget to create a new section of the Tweetsie Trail to stretch from Johnson City to Jonesborough. Located on the former railbed of the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad – nicknamed the Tweetsie – the trail presently stretches around 10 miles between Johnson City and Elizabethton. Cyclists and pedestrians on the path can explore the history of the area, the regional railroad, geology, tree biology, and birding. City officials and local trail users are hoping the increased connectivity of the Tweetsie Trail will encourage more users, especially as an alternative to vehicle traffic between the communities.