East Coast Greenway

Infobox Hiking trail
Name=East Coast Greenway
Photo=American_Tobacco_Trail.jpg
Caption=The American Tobacco Trail, which will form a section of the East Coast Greenway
Length=3000 mi (proposed)
Start/End Points=Maine to Florida (under construction)
Use=Multi-use, non-motorized
ElevChange=
HighPoint=West Boylston, Massachusetts, convert|680|ft|m
LowPoint= Many locations within convert|10|ft|m or less of sea level.
Difficulty=
Season=Variable, depending on latitude
Sights=
Hazards= weather, Tick-borne diseases

The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly 3000-mile (4828 km) urban path linking the major cities along the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida for non-motorized human transportation. It is similar, both in length and conception, to the twelve routes of the EuroVelo project throughout Europe.

Work on ECG began in 1991 and is projected to be substantially completed in 2010.Fact|date=November 2007 The American Tobacco Trail is one of many Rails-to-Trails projects which form sections of this greenway.

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", or ECGA, to plan and promote a greenway linking existing and planned trails into a contiguous "spine route" between Atlantic coast cities.

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

Between February and June of 2000, the ECG "Wave relay" transported a bottle of sea water from Key West, Florida up the eastern seaboard to Canada along the route of the ECG. Transportation was entirely non-motorized to celebrate the ECG's selection as a "National Millennium Trail" and to promote human-powered transportation.

Route

Major cities connected by the "spine route" are:
#Calais, Maine
#Bangor, Maine
#Portland, Maine
#Portsmouth, New Hampshire
#Boston, Massachusetts
#Worcester, Massachusetts
#Providence, Rhode Island
#Hartford, Connecticut
#New Haven, Connecticut
#New York City, New York
#Trenton, New Jersey
#Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#Wilmington, Delaware
#Baltimore, Maryland
#Annapolis, Maryland
#Washington, DC
#Richmond, Virginia
#Durham, North Carolina
#Raleigh, North Carolina
#Fayetteville, North Carolina
#Wilmington, North Carolina
#Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
#Charleston, South Carolina
#Savannah, Georgia
#Jacksonville, Florida
#Miami, Florida
#Key West, Florida

There is also a planned coastal alternate route that connects Richmond to Wilmington, NC by way of Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as other planned "alternate" routes in Maine, Massachusetts, and Florida

Active Segments

A sampling of segments of the East Coast Greenway that are currently accessible:

Maine

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

Massachusetts

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

Rhode Island

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

Connecticut

*The Moosup Valley State Park Trail from the Rhode Island line to Plainfield
*The Airline State Park Trail from Putnam to Windham
*The Veteran's Greenway through the borough of Willimantic
*The Hop River State Park Trail from Columbia to Bolton
*The Charter Oak Greenway from Bolton to East Hartford
*The Farmington Canal Trail from New Haven to Plainville (the majority of sections in New Haven [ [http://www.designnewhaven.com/2008/07/farmington-canal-greenway-gets-rolling.html Downtown New Haven Greenway gets rolling] ] , Hamden and Cheshire are complete as of 2007, with a few gaps)

New Jersey

*The D&R Canal Trail between New Brunswick and Trenton
*Middlesex County Greenway from Fords to Metuchen
*Rahway River Parkway through Rahway, Clark, Cranford and Kenilworth in Union County
*Elizabeth River Park in Elizabeth
*Jersey City Waterfront in Jersey City

Pennsylvania

*BicyclePA Route E

Maryland

*The Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore [ [http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/ Gwynns Falls Trail ] ]
*The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail from Glen Burnie to Annapolis [ [http://bikewashington.org/trails/ba/ba.htm Baltimore & Annapolis Trail - D.C. Rail Trail ] ]

North Carolina

*The American Tobacco Trail in Durham
*The Dunn-Erwin Trail in Harnett County [ [http://www.harnett.org/health/physical-910.asp Harnett County: Physical Activity: Dunn Erwin Trail ] ]
*The Cape Fear River Trail in Fayetteville [ [http://www.fcpr.us/river_trail.php Cape Fear River Trail ] ]

Florida

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

ee also

*U.S. Bicycle Route 1
* List of rail trails

References

External links

* [http://www.greenway.org/ East Coast Greenway]
*The American Tobacco Trail is a project of the [http://www.triangletrails.org Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy] .
* [http://www.coastalgeorgiagreenway.com/ The Coastal Georgia Greenway] is the project working to build the Georgia section of the East Coast Greenway.
* [http://www.rigreenways.org/ The Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island] is a web site dedicated to greenways and blueways in Rhode Island.