Author: Larry Glantz

May 19 marked the tenth anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony that began construction on the first section of the Eastern Trail. The project was managed under the direction of the 12-town Eastern Trail Management District in partnership with many organizations including the Town of Scarborough.  That section, crossing Scarborough Marsh, soon demonstrated amazing public support for the Eastern Trail.

Could anyone with their groundbreaking shovels in hand have imagined what would be accomplished in the following ten years?

Congratulations and many thanks to the hundreds, and thousands who believed in and supported the Eastern Trail vision and have worked so hard to continue building the first 21 miles of our off-road trail. Since that historic day, we have truly demonstrated that “if you build it, they will come.”

Click here to see some pictures of Eastern Trail leaders and visionaries gathering on the Scarborough Marsh Bridge on May 19 to commemorate the anniversary

The Eastern Trail is an important part of the East Coast Greenway, a developing trail system, spanning nearly 3,000 miles as it winds its way between Canada and Key West, linking all the major cities of the eastern seaboard. The vision of developing this trail system is the East Coast Greenway Alliance – Read their January 2014 Newsletter online here.

A big “Thank you” goes to Tom Littlefield and Judy Haley for participating in the ceremony to represent the Eastern Trail.  Tom rode as part of the ceremony and Judy was the main contact for the Eastern Trail Alliance.

The bridge, connecting Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME, is a critical link for the East Coast Greenway, and for those entering the Eastern Trail at its southernmost point.

Several news stories on the Grand Opening ceremony can be found on our News Archive Page.

MEMORIAL BRIDGE PROJECT PAGE – SeaCoastonline.com has a Rebuilding the Memorial Bridge page that provides a complete look at the Memorial Bridge project, including photo galleries, news stories and a timeline of events going back to the 2011 closure of the original 1923 bridge.

Also check out SeaCoastonline’s Memorial Bridge Opening 2013 photo gallery

Additional details on the event and the bridge project can be found on the NH/ME DOT web page.

Funding from Biddeford Savings is helping thousands of hiking, biking and outdoor enthusiasts enjoy southern Maine’s Eastern Trail.

The bank provided full funding for the printing of 10,000 maps of the Eastern Trail, a 65-mile section of the East Coast Greenway, a transportation-recreation greenway connecting Kittery, in southernmost Maine, to Casco Bay in South Portland. The Eastern Trail has a growing span of off-road sections, as well as scenic on-road trails designed to follow primarily quiet country roads. Experienced bike riders and hikers can enjoy a beautiful journey from South Portland’s Bug Light Park on Casco Bay to Kittery on the Piscataqua River.

Read the full story here.