A 2-mile section of the Eastern Trail that runs from Clark Street behind Thornton Academy to the trail kiosk on Route 1 by Hannaford was dedicated by the city of Saco to Mary Kerry Libby, for which the annual Mary’s Walk is named. Picture of plaque here.
The latest coverage is entitled “Moonlight walks on Eastern Trail offered by guides” appearing in the 2/2 Journal Tribune – read the full article here.
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.
The Town of Scarborough recently hosted a presentation on the preliminary design for the section of the ET that would close the gap between the Nonesuch River in Scarborough and Wainwright Fields in South Portland. This section of the trail presents significant challenges that are both logistical and financial, as you’ll see. You can see this presentation in two ways: A slide show, and by watching a video from the meeting.
The Town of Scarborough recently made improvements to the Eastern Trail crossings on Pine Point and Black Point roads, including the addition of marked crosswalks and flashing warning lights, to assist trail users in crossing. Of course, even with these upgrades, please stop and look both ways before crossing any of the roads along the ET.
They are great, capturing the fantastic experience of both riders and volunteers. ETA Volunteer Jim Bucar has a great eye and donates much time to get these great photos. Go here to see the pictures.
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.
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.
“And now the kids are riding 25 new bikes on the Eastern Trail” is the way the Saco Bikes for Kids campaign is defining its success in promoting use of the Eastern Trail and healthy lifestyles among youth. View the celebration poster, and read a news article about the feat. Some of the happy children with the Saco Parks and Recreation summer camp ride are shown (in the image to the right) riding their newly donated bicycles on the John R. Andrews Eastern Trail Bridge in Saco.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Signs are being put up to ask motorists in southern York County to be aware of rare turtles crossing area roads. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Nature Conservancy are marking the turtle crossing areas in Wells, South Berwick and York with hopes of reducing highway deaths of two of the state’s rarest species, Blanding’s and spotted turtles. Motorists encountering the roadside turtle signs should reduce their speed and be on the lookout for jaywalking turtles. Drivers who see a turtle crossing the road and want to help are asked to safely pull over to the side of the road and, only if it is safe to do so, move the turtle to the side of the road in the direction it was headed.Article from WCSH Channel 6.