Oh man, that rail-to-trail sounds great! I hope it gets completed sooner than later!

Make sure you email whoever is working on that and tell them how much you appreciate their work and are looking forward to biking it! I've written to my local council on a few occasions and told them how much I appreciate what they're doing with specifics about how it effects me personally which can be anything from increased safety, lower environmental impact, improved physical & mental health, just plain fun, or connecting more with your family/friends/community etc. The more they hear that they're having a positive impact on people and their community the more they'll be motivated to push ahead with new projects!