Archived News

The group is closing in on a financial target to construct a difficult portion of an envisioned 64-mile path.

[The following article, by Deirdre Fleming, Staff Writer of the Portland Press Herald, gives great exposure to the ETA’s current Close the Gap campaign]

SCARBOROUGH — The Eastern Trail Alliance announced Tuesday that it is close to a fundraising goal that would allow the trail to run 16 miles uninterrupted from Bug Light in South Portland to Saco.

The alliance needs just over $600,000 to complete a $3.8 million capital campaign that would allow for construction of a difficult section of the trail that spans a railroad track and the Nonesuch River.

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By Sarra Sedghi |  August 31, 2016  |  12:30pm | Photos: Tom Hilton/Flickr and Kenneth Casper/Flickr

Maine’s Eastern Trail, a segment of the ever-growing East Coast Greenway, runs from Portland to Kennebunk and currently exists in three stretches connected by on-road cycling routes. Along the way, you’ll see passing sailboats, scenes from downtown Portland, remains of the Eastern Railroad and Scarborough Marsh’s wildlife.

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Portland Press Herald, Letters, Posted August 26, 2016

It’s summer on the coast of Maine, and there’s no better time of year to appreciate the value of the Eastern Trail.

For those who aren’t already frequent users, the Eastern Trail system traverses 65 miles between Kittery and South Portland. It’s part of the larger East Coast Greenway that aims to connect Maine to Florida – a trail project that has been in the national headlines recently, including features by Conde Nast and the Huffington Post.

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Conde Nash Traveler | Written by Sebastian Modak |   July 25, 2016

It’s like the Appalachian Trail for bikes.

It’s been under discussion since the early 1990s, so you’d be forgiven for thinking the East Coast Greenway—a nearly 3,000-mile paved bike trail that would extend from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida—is nothing but a pipe dream. But the non-profit organization behind the initiative, the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), has been busy as of late, as it’s 2016-2020 strategic plan shows an uptick in funding from community organizations and both federal and local government institutions. (The project depends on local state governments building and maintaining their individual sections.)

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FROM STAFF REPORTS – Journal Tribune

BIDDEFORD — A new trail sign was installed recently on the Biddeford portion of the Eastern Trail.

When completed, the trail will run 65 miles from Kittery to South Portland.

The artwork on the new sign depicts beavers and other area wildlife, and was created by artist Jada Fitch.

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The news segment ran on Monday, July 18th. You can view the segment online here (the part about the Eastern Trail starts at the 3:39 mark).

We are thrilled to have spent a day on the Eastern Trail with WCVB Channel 5 Boston and Chronicle on WCVB Channel 5! The Boston television crew explored southern Maine and featured a few cool things to do when in town. The TV crew interviewed the Close the Gap Campaign Communication Director Diana Ichton Nelson with several of the ETA Trustees coming along for the ride.

The web page for the show is here. The video for the show can be viewed online here (the part about the Eastern Trail starts at the 3:39 mark).

One organization is working to connect cities and towns from Maine to Florida with protected trails.

by EILLIE ANZILOTTI | published Jun 28, 2016

From northern Maine to the tip of Florida, the East Coast of the United States stretches 3,000 miles. It’s a diverse, expansive route, cutting through wooded hills and rocky coastlines before hitting the sun-drenched beaches of the South. And all of it can be traveled by bicycle.

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Kate Irish Collins, kcollins@keepmecurrent.com – May 19, 2016

The final push is on to raise the remaining $1 million needed by the end of the year to build two new bridges on the Eastern Trail that would close a 1.6-mile gap between Scarborough and South Portland.

Construction of the bridges, one over the Nonesuch River and one over the Pan Am railroad tracks near Pleasant Hill Road, has been a goal of the Eastern Trail Alliance, which maintains and operates the trail, for more than a decade, according to Carole Brush.

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[News Flash – The ETA is leading a major fundraising campaign aimed at the critical “missing trail link” addressed in this article. Go here to learn more]

WGME-TV (Channmel 13), May 6, 2016

SCARBOROUGH (WGME) — There’s a push to “close the gap,” at one of Maine’s most popular foot and biking trails.

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