ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday the selection of the Georgia Recreational Trails Program grants recipients for construction and rehabilitation of trails. Selected applicants, including the City of Guyton, will be invited to submit final applications for their proposals, which would result in almost $2.5 million of funding to support outdoor access in Georgia. Grantees will partner with private and public organizations, leveraging RTP funding into a total estimated investment of more than $4.6 million for projects.

The City of  Guyton will receive $66,126 to rehabilitate the Main Street Rail Trail through downtown. In 2005, the city converted a former railroad line into a popular trail.

“We are excited to support these communities and these projects because we want to make sure that every Georgian has a chance to get outdoors,” said Mark Williams, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. “We’ve seen public access dramatically increase through the many great trails built in partnership with RTP, and we are looking forward to even more.”

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) seeks to support communities in developing recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized & motorized outdoor recreation. RTP funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund & represent an estimate of the motor fuel excise tax collected from off-highway recreational use.

Georgia DNR conducts biannual grant application cycles for RTP funds. The 12 awardees were selected from 39 project proposals requesting $6.5 million in all.

The selected projects include five trails in public parks, two water trail projects for canoeing and kayaking, three greenway paths through communities, one rails-to-trails project, and six off-road motorized trail systems. The complete list of Georgia Recreational Trails Program awards is below. For more information about RTP and these grants, visit www.gadnr.org/rtp.