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Close the Gap

HUGE News! Close the Gap Construction is Underway!

Construction is officially underway on the long-anticipated Close the Gap project in Scarborough, Maine!

In partnership with the Town of Scarborough and MaineDOT, this project will add 1.6 miles of off-road trail to the Eastern Trail, connecting the trail segment off Eastern Road to the northern trail segment near the Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland. This new segment will eliminate a key on-road gap and bring us one step closer to a fully connected Eastern Trail.

An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 24 – go here for the story.

This progress is the result of years of hard work: raising funds, aligning partners, finalizing trail design, and securing the necessary permits and land rights. The project went out to bid this spring, and construction is underway!

This moment also honors the vision of Eastern Trail founder John Andrews, whose tireless efforts and advocacy laid the groundwork for a long-distance trail through southern Maine. Though John is no longer with us, his legacy continues in every mile we build.

Construction will be completed in phases, and we hope the entire segment will be completed by the end of 2027. For ongoing project updates, please go here.

We are beyond excited to see this vision become reality. We are deeply grateful to the many funders and partners who helped bring this project to life—including the Town of Scarborough, MaineDOT, and generous lead donors like Town & Country Federal Credit Union, Caiazzo Family, Thompson Family, Quimby Family Foundation, Avangrid Foundation, IDEXX Laboratories, WEX, and many more!

March 2025 Update:

Today, the Town of Scarborough announced that the Eastern Trail’s Close the Gap trail-building project, a 1.6-mile gap in the trail between South Portland and Scarborough, is officially accepting sealed construction bids!

We’re excited to share this announcement with you, the Eastern Trail community, and are grateful to the Town of Scarborough for their tremendous leadership throughout this process.

This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of Eastern Trail supporters like you and your steadfast commitment to our mission. The Close the Gap project has faced challenges along the way, but thanks to donors like you, we are now at the beginning of the construction phase!

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More Close the Gap Campaign Resources

Close the Gap Drone Video Nov 2016Go here to take a look at the future (simulated trail images) – see what your donation will create.

Go here to see helpful Close the Gap campaign resources that provide more details, images, and documents suitable for viewing and printing.

Go here for a one-page Fact Sheet and Summary about the Close the Gap Campaign.

Press Coverage:

Thanks to all of our partners!! We could not have been this successful without every one of you. Bicycle Coalition of Maine, PACTS, Town of Scarborough, Maine, City of South Portland, Maine, Town & Country Federal Credit Union Maine and Maine Department of Transportation, to name just a few.

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To date, significant contributions have been received from:

  • Town of Scarborough, and the City of South Portland $287,000
  • Town and Country Federal Credit Union, $100,000
  • Eastern Trail Alliance, $100,000 ($50,000 to match $50,000 from private donors)
  • Caiazzo Family of Scarborough, $30,000
  • Thompson Family of South Portland, $26,000
  • WEX, $25,000
  • Quimby Family Foundation $25k
  • Avangrid, $25,000
  • IDEXX, $25,000
  • Morton Kelly Charitable Fund, $20,000
  • Davis Conservation Foundation, $10,000
  • Proceeds from John Andrews Memorial 5k, $14,000
  • Additional private donations of $81,850

Go here to view the complete listing of Press Coverage since the beginning of the campaign.

 

Need to Cross the Nonesuch River

A Bridge is Needed Across the Nonesuch River!

Another view of the needed Nonesuch River Crossing

The needed bridge, viewed from the Nonesuch River level

 

Gap Map

Click on image to see larger view

Help Us Close this Gap

 

Chamber Donation

Tom Hall, Scarborough Town Manager is presented a check for $100,000 by Deb Erickson-Irons, ETA Pres. and Bob Bowker, ETA Vice Pres.

Chamber of Commerce Donations to CTG

ETA Officers receiving Scarborough Chamber of Commerce $1000 donation, and South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce $500 donation
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