The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail grew from investment by the BVRA, Union County, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. After years of planning and feasibility studies by the county, BVRA acquired the right-of-way from the West Shore Rail Road for the rail line from Northumberland County to Mifflinburg in 2009. The rails were salvaged in 2010 while the first phase was being designed from 10th St in Mifflinburg to 12th St in Lewisburg, and construction began in the spring of 2011. Phase I, with 9 miles of finished trail, three trailheads, comfort facilities, and parking areas, was completed at the end of October 2011. Phase II, including a trail head in Vicksburg and a trail extension on either side of Route 15 in Lewisburg, was completed by the end of 2015. Future phases are intended to improve connections to downtown Lewisburg, the Susquehanna River, and other regional destinations while adding more amenities along the trail. As the first developed off-road trail in the area, it transformed non-motorized transportation in Union County by creating a protected route for recreation and travel for all ages and abilities along a corridor paralleling Route 45, giving the community a safe alternative to driving between Mifflinburg and Lewisburg.