PA Congressman Sponsors Legislation To Create 9/11 Memorial Trail

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of Congress members have introduced legislation to designate the September 11th National Memorial Trail, linking the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks), Gerald Connolly (D-VA), and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the bipartisan legislation on Monday. If passed, the U.S. Interior Secretary would be authorized to designate a tour route linking the three locations.

The September 11th National Memorial Trail is a 1,300-mile system of trails and roadways that links the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, serving as an homage to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The trail is the result of a partnership between the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, which has already endorsed the legislation, and the National Park Service, state and local governments, and other nonprofit organizations.

“Our bipartisan legislation designates a trail that connects each of the different sites attacked, providing us an ongoing opportunity to come together and reflect on that tragic day,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “I am proud to join Congressmen Connolly and Beyer in introducing this legislation that will help ensure we never forget the resilience of America and that we will always honor the many heroes and innocent lives our nation lost that day."

Starting at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, the trail will extend northwest to the Flight 93 National Memorial and then continue east to New York City’s National September 11th Memorial and Museum. It then heads south following the East Coast Greenway connecting to the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection, the National Mall in Washington D.C. and ultimately returning to the Pentagon Memorial.

You can read the full text of the bill here. Click here to see a map of the trail.

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