SCRANTON — A recent report shows the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail (LRHT) continues to have a positive economic impact in Lackawanna County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and trail usage has substantially increased in the past five years.
Officials at Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area (LHV) in Scranton released the findings of the 2016 Trail User Survey and Economic Impact Analysis at a special event at LHV Headquarters Feb. 1. The report shows the total economic impact of the trail is $91.9 million in Pennsylvania. Of that, $72 million is generated in Lackawanna County.
Trail usage significantly increased since the last survey was conducted in 2009. There were approximately 315,000 visits to the trail last year, with an estimated 8,370 weekly trail visits. This marks a 145 percent increase in trail usage since 2009.
Urban Partners, a community and economic development consulting firm based in Philadelphia, prepared the analysis. Results were based on a survey of 770 trail users conducted by Lackawanna Heritage Valley over a 7-month period in 2016.
