Fitzgerald, Regional Leaders Embark On 6-Day Great Allegheny Passage Ride

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Over the next six days, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will ride his bike more than 300 miles. He'll be stopping along the Great Allegheny Passage to learn more about how the trail impacts many local businesses.

In fact, about two dozen regional leaders will test their pedal power alongside Fitzgerald.

"It's really a trip to highlight all of the activities here in Allegheny County. It's a six-day trip along the trail with stops along the way. We are going to stop in McKeesport first and then we have a lunch and tonight we are going to get down to about Ohiopyle," former U.S. Attorney David Hickton said.

Fitzgerald is making the trip for a second time.

"A lot of the people who are going with me doing it for the first time kind of said, 'Boy, if you can do it, I can do it,'" Fitzgerald said.

The ride began at Point State Park. They will work their way south and east along the rivers and finish in Washington, D.C.

"If you invest in trails, the trails are going to deliver tourists, the tourists are going to deliver the cash. The cash is going to bring the jobs and jobs build communities," Stacey Vernallis, of Friends of the Riverfront, said.

"A lot of people come to Pittsburgh because of some of our trails, our beautiful rivers, our beautiful greenery, and it's so perfect that now this Amazon competition is going on, we can show one more thing on why they should locate all those young talented people that want to live a good quality of life, they can do it right here in Pittsburgh," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald tells the "KDKA Morning News" the towns along the trail are seeing a positive economic impact.

"The economic impact and the economic development that a lot of those towns along the trail have had have shown to be very positive. There's a lot of good things happening," said Fitzgerald.