Archived News

September 29, 2011

Eastern Trail gap bridged

The first-of-its-kind span over the Maine Turnpike completes a 6.2-mile stretch.

By Emma Bouthillette ebouthillette@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

KENNEBUNK – As John Andrews watched nearly 500 elementary school students cross the Eastern Trail Bridge over the Maine Turnpike during its official opening on Wednesday, all he could do was smile.

The bridge, solely for pedestrians and cyclists, is the first of its kind spanning the turnpike. It completes a 6.2-mile section of trail from Kennebunk to Biddeford, and Andrews called it “the biggest challenge” in building the trail.

“I’ll tell you, I stand on that bridge and I really get choked up,” now that it’s finally complete, he said.

The $1.3 million bridge, funded by the Maine Turnpike Authority, is a key element in the alliance’s mission to complete a 65-mile stretch of off-road trail from Kittery to Casco Bay.

A bridge over Route 1 in Saco, expected to be installed by Nov. 1, will help complete nearly 21 consecutive miles of the trail in that area.

At the opening ceremony Wednesday at Kennebunk Elementary School, Maine Turnpike Authority Executive Director Peter Mills said the bridge is long overdue. He has heard for years about the need for a safe place for walkers and cyclists.

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August 7

Blazing a trail

Mile by mile, bridge by bridge, Eastern Trail supporters are closing in on their goal.

By Deirdre Fleming dfleming@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

In 1997, all John Andrews wanted his Saco Bay Trails volunteers to build was a trail from Scarborough to Saco — a pathway through three towns.

A town officer told him he’d never get a bridge over Route 1, and support for the trail seemed minimal.

“Most of the people at that meeting are now dead,” Andrews said. “This December, it will be 14 years since we started.”

In December, Andrews and people from eight towns will celebrate the 21 miles of linear off-road bicycle and pedestrian trail they’ve built between South Portland and Kennebunk — and the opening of not only the Eastern Trail’s bridge over Route 1 but also another spanning the width of Interstate 95.

“All I had was the vision,” Andrews said. “The thing just exploded.”

In recent years, the vision of an off-road trail running the length of southern Maine has come closer to a reality as others have joined and worked alongside Andrews on the Eastern Trail.

This year, with an unprecedented number of off-road miles built on the unique path, those involved say there’s no stopping now.

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