East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway
The American Tobacco Trail, which will form a section of the East Coast Greenway
Length	3000 mi (proposed)
Trailheads	Maine/ Canada-U.S. border to Florida (under construction)
Use	Multi-use, non-motorized
Highest point	West Boylston, Massachusetts, 680 feet (210 m)
Lowest point	Many locations within 10 feet (3.0 m) or less of sea level.
Season	Variable, depending on latitude
Hazards	weather, Tick-borne diseases

The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly 3,000-mile (4,800 km) urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation. It is similar in length and conception to the 12 routes of the EuroVelo project throughout Europe, and the Trans Canada Trail project in Canada.

Work on ECG began in 1991. As of 2011, 25% of the trail is complete (off-road).

History

In 1991, a group of cyclists and long-distance trail enthusiasts met in New York City and formed a national non-profit organization, the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), to plan and promote a greenway linking existing and planned trails into a contiguous "spine route" between Atlantic coast cities.

In summer 1992, the ECGA sent nine cyclists from Boston, New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. on a 30-day "exploratory" cycle tour. In June 1999, the ECG was selected by the White House for designation as a National Millennium Trail.

Between February and June 2000, the ECG Wave non-motorized relay transported a bottle of sea water from Key West, Florida, up the eastern seaboard to Canada along the route of the ECG.

Route

Major cities connected by the spine route are:

1. Calais, Maine
2. Bangor, Maine
3. Portland, Maine
4. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
5. Newburyport, Massachusetts
6. Boston, Massachusetts
7. Worcester, Massachusetts
8. Providence, Rhode Island
9. Hartford, Connecticut
10. New Haven, Connecticut
11. New York City, New York
12. Jersey City, New Jersey
13. Trenton, New Jersey
14. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
15. Wilmington, Delaware
16. Baltimore, Maryland
17. Annapolis, Maryland
18. Washington, DC
19. Richmond, Virginia
20. Durham, North Carolina
21. Raleigh, North Carolina
22. Fayetteville, North Carolina
23. Wilmington, North Carolina
24. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
25. Charleston, South Carolina
26. Savannah, Georgia
27. Jacksonville, Florida
28. Miami, Florida
29. Key West, Florida

A planned alternative to the Richmond-Wilmington leg of the journey hews closer to the coast, passing through Virginia Beach in the Tidewater region of Virginia and continuing on through the Elizabeth City, Greenville, New Bern and Jacksonville in North Carolina before rejoining the main line near the mouth of the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. Other alternate routes are planned for Maine, Massachusetts, and Florida.

Active segments

As of 2011, a sampling of segments of the East Coast Greenway that are accessible include:

Maine

• Calais Waterfront Walkway
• Downeast Sunrise Trail
• Kennebec River Rail Trail
• Lisbon Trail
• Androscoggin River Bicycle Path
• South Portland Green Belt
• Eastern Trail

Massachusetts

• Newburyport Rail Trail
• Salem Rail Trail
• Everett Bike Path
• Charles River Bike Path
• Blackstone River Bikeway between Millbury and south Worcester
• Blackstone Canal Towpath

Rhode Island

• Blackstone River Bikeway between the Massachusetts line and Providence
• Providence Riverwalk
• East Bay Bike Path (spur trail) between East Providence and Bristol
• Washington Secondary Rail Trail between Cranston and Coventry

Connecticut

• Moosup Valley State Park Trail from the Rhode Island line to Plainfield
• Airline State Park Trail from Putnam to Windham
• Veteran's Greenway through the borough of Willimantic
• Hop River State Park Trail from Columbia to Bolton
• Charter Oak Greenway from Bolton to East Hartford
• Farmington Canal Trail from Plainville to New Haven (the majority of sections in New Haven, Hamden and Cheshire are complete as of 2007, with a few gaps)

New Jersey

New Jersey's spine route is 93 miles (150 km) long, running between the Hudson River and the Delaware River. It passes through bustling urban areas — Jersey City, Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, and Trenton — as well as quiet suburban settings and more rural landscapes. As of 2011, it had the second highest percentage of completed trail of any East Coast state. 48 percent of the greenway in the state was along traffic-free paths, including the longest completed trail in the system – the D&R Canal Towpath, which is 34.3 miles (55.2 km) long. North of the Raritan River, travelers alternate between park paths and interim on-road sections to Newark. There are calls for replacement of the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River to provide for pedestrians/cyclists crossing the New Jersey Meadowlands. In Hudson County parts of the greenway use Lincoln Park, Liberty State Park, and the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Plans to use the Harsimus Stem Embankment are mired in controversy.

• Hudson Waterfront in Hudson County/Jersey City
• Weequahic Park in Newark
• Elizabeth River Park in Elizabeth
• Rahway River Parkway through Rahway, Clark, Cranford and Kenilworth in Union County
• Middlesex Greenway Rail Trail Woodbridge, Metuchen, Edison
• Raritan River - Piscataway
• D&R Canal Trail between New Brunswick and Trenton

Pennsylvania

• BicyclePA Route E

Maryland

• Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore
• Baltimore & Annapolis Trail from Glen Burnie to Annapolis
• Lake Artemesia at Berwyn Heights, Maryland

District of Columbia

• Metropolitan Branch Trail from Silver Spring, MD to Union Station

North Carolina

• Ellerbe Creek Trail in (northern) Durham
• American Tobacco Trail in Durham
• Dunn-Erwin Trail in Harnett County
• Cape Fear River Trail in Fayetteville

Florida

• River to Sea Trail (Flagler County)
• Overseas Heritage Trail (partially complete, from Key Largo to Key West)

See also

• Ohio River Trail
• List of rail trails
• U.S. Bicycle Route 1

External links

• East Coast Greenway