Heading south from Badger’s Island in Kittery, Route 1 crosses the Memorial Bridge and cuts through downtown Portsmouth. Bicyclists have two options to cross the bridge: They can either dismount and walk their bikes, or they can take their chances on the metal grate roadway, which can spell the end for road bike tires.

Soon that will change. When the bridge is rehabilitated next year, it will be outfitted with concrete to make for easy crossing. Memorial Bridge will become the first stretch of New Hampshire’s segment of the East Coast Greenway—a bicycle route that traverses the entire East Coast of the United States.

After crossing the bridge, cyclists travel through downtown Portsmouth. The crowded city center is one of many that the Greenway intersects on its path south. Below the city, the road opens up a little, and the route follows Route 1A and 1B through the twists and turns of the coastline.

The East Coast Greenway spans 3,000 miles, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. Traveling through the coastal plains of the eastern seaboard, the Greenway passes through the heart of 25 major cities. But approximately one fifth (21 percent) of the route includes traffic-free, multi-use bike paths, and the

ultimate goal is to establish 100 percent of the Greenway on these off-street trails.  
“There will be an official opening in the fall, but it will be open all summer long,” said Josh Pierce, a member of Seacoast Bike Routes and employee of Papa Wheelies Bicycle Shop in Portsmouth. With only 17 miles of beaches, New Hampshire has the smallest coastline of any state participating in the Greenway. “By itself, it isn’t necessarily impressive, but it will be the first state to have completed its on-road route,” Pierce said. “It’s a great stretch of road to bike on, probably the most scenic in New Hampshire.”   

The East Coast Greenway has its origins in the early 1990s, when a group of trail and bicycle advocates came together with the idea of creating a trail that stretched from Boston to New York. As the trail kept growing, the group decided it should stretch across the entire eastern seaboard.

The East Coast Greenway Alliance formed shortly thereafter. Headquartered in Wakefield, R.I., the group has staff and partners throughout the East Coast.

“The Alliance doesn’t build or own the trails. We work with local and state agencies that are building and maintaining the trails. We help promote the vision,” said Tanja Wiant, communications coordinator for the East Coast Greenway Alliance, which also works with neighboring communities to connect trail segments.

“For the most part, people have been really enthusiastic,” Wiant said. “The majority of the benefit is going to the local community. If they don’t want to build a trail, they don’t have to, but most communities that we approach about being part of it are very enthusiastic,” she said.

At the state and local levels, the ECGA works with parks and recreation departments, planning boards, departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.

About 18 months ago, the Rockingham Planning Commission received a grant from the N.H. Department of Transportation to create the conceptual design and implementation strategy for the New Hampshire segment of the ECG. With help from Seacoast Area Bike Routes, the Rockingham Planning Commission has been working with representatives from eight Seacoast towns, three state agencies, the National Park Service, the ECGA and trail groups in neighboring Maine and Massachusetts. In addition to the state grant, the coalition received a technical assistance grant from the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of interest in this,” said Scott Bogle, senior transportation planner for the Rockingham Planning Commission and a member of SABR. A public visioning session held in Portsmouth Public Library about a year ago drew a big crowd, Bogle said. Since then, a number of people have contacted him to find out more about the trail. SABR had a table at the Sustainability Fair in Portsmouth last month. “Everybody at the table seemed excited about an additional place to bike,” Bogle said.

The coalition’s first task was to identify an interim road route while mapping where the off-road, multi-use path would be located.

The Rockingham Planning Commission has considered a couple of possible locations for the off-road route. The option with the most potential is a rail corridor extending from Portsmouth to Newburyport, Mass. New Hampshire owns the southernmost section of the old railway, from the middle of Hampton to Massachusetts. “North from there, that is still in active rail use,” Bogle said, noting that Pan Am Rail owns the northern section. “So, we need to talk to them and see what their future plans are for that corridor.” 

Another potential off-road route could be established by connecting a number of utility passages. A state transportation official has identified utility corridors that could be connected into a single track. The Rockingham Planning Commission hopes to have its recommendations prepared by July, at which time Bogle will submit them to the Department of Transportation and present them to Seacoast towns. “It’s likely that there will be a recommendation for phase one of the off-road southern portion. North of that, it’s still pretty unclear,” Bogle said.

The on-road trail mostly follows routes 1A and 1B. There are a couple of spots in Rye and Portsmouth where the trail veers off state roads and onto local streets. In Rye, the trail diverges onto town roadways to avoid traffic and parking pinch points. The town recommended that cyclists avoid the area south of Wallace Sands and Jenness Beach. The DOT will post signs designating the route next month.

According to Pierce, a study conducted in Maine determined that bicycle tourism is a $65 million-per-year industry in that state alone, and it’s probably just as lucrative in New Hampshire. “It’s the biggest outdoor recreation moneymaker. It’s bigger than skiing,” Pierce said. “Anybody that has a business that caters to tourism will definitely see a benefit from people riding bikes through their towns, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants.”

Located halfway between Boston and Portland, the Seacoast is a perfect layover for weekend bike trips, Pierce said. Cyclists can start in Boston, spend the night in Portsmouth, then ride up to Portland the next day and catch Amtrak’s Downeaster back to Boston.

The trail also offers benefits to Seacoast residents. “Obviously, for anybody living in the Seacoast, it will offer great recreational opportunities and safe places to ride a bicycle or go for a walk with your family.” Pierce said. “The more people that are out riding, the safer it becomes for everyone.” 

According to Wiant, most people who use portions of the Greenway only ride on their local segments. For them, the trail offers opportunities for recreation, car-free commuting and physical exercise. And, of course, biking to work is much better for the environment than driving. “There are the benefits to the communities that go along with any trail,” she said.

The long-distance trail will also be good for adventurous cyclists who want to travel between communities and for local businesses that will benefit from the bump in tourism.

“There are great things to do and see on the East Coast, and because it goes through cities and towns, people can access all the historical and cultural sites without getting in the car,” Wiant said. Vacationers often contact her at the ECGA for information on the Greenway, she added.

While the trail is happily marching forward, there is still a lot of work to be done. “In every state there is something,” Wiant said. Water crossings pose the greatest challenge. “The highway or bridge goes over the river, but they might not have bicycle connections,” she said.

The pending Memorial Bridge work will make it easier for cyclists to cross The Piscataqua River between New Hampshire and Maine. Eventually, signs marking the Greenway will be more prevalent throughout the route.

“One of our big goals is to get signage up along the entire route,” Wiant said.

For the New Hampshire segment, that goal will soon be realized. According to Bogle, getting the signs was easier than he expected. “The state Department of Transportation has been very cooperative,” he said.

An inaugural event to celebrate the on-road route will be held in September or October. For more information about the trail, go to www.greenway.org.