Bob LaNigra and Jim Bucar Presentation about the Eastern Trail
July 30th Meeting
Candy turned the meeting over to Bob LaNigra and Jim Bucar who presented us with both a visual Presentation along with some nice hand-outs about the Eastern Trail which presently has 5 miles of trail in Scarborough. Upon completion, it will be a 65 mile trail from Bug Light in South Portland to Kittery. The Easter Trail is part of the planned 3,000 mile East Coast Greenway which will extend from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.
“The Eastern Trail is both a trail and a vision. The Eastern Trail has a growing span of off-road sections, as well as a scenic on-road trail that mostly follows quiet country roads. Experienced bike riders and hikers can enjoy a beautiful journey from South Portland's Bug Light Park on Casco Bay (near Portland) to Kittery's Piscataqua River.”
Presently, the trail is mostly complete from South Portland with a couple of significant exceptions:
One is the .8 mile section between Scarborough & South Portland. It is estimated that it could cost over $3,000,000 to complete. Presently, you must detour via Pleasant Hill Road to Highland Avenue. The other missing section is between Saco & Biddeford where you must detour on heavy traffic on city streets.
The 8 to 10 stretch from Kennebunk to North Berwick is scheduled to be constructed next. On average, it costs about $600,000 per mile to build.