2020 new Greenway segments

Click the video above to meet the latest Greenway segments.

Thirty-one miles of safe, traffic-free segments were added to the East Coast Greenway route in 2020, bringing the total length of protected pathways to more than 1,000 miles - 35 percent of the entire 3,000-mile route. Last year, we welcomed 23 segments in 13 states and Washington, D.C., to the Greenway.

2020 East Coast Greenway Designations, listed north to south:

1. South Portland, Maine: South Portland Greenbelt/Eastern Trail, 0.2 miles: This newly designated exemption closes the gap between two sections of trail in South Portland. While this segment is actually residential roads, vehicle volumes are low and slow-moving, and drivers are used to seeing walkers and cyclists using the roadway. This addition is part of a phased designation process to complete the South Portland Greenbelt and Eastern Trail in southern Maine, which currently stretches 5.8 miles and 20.2 miles, respectively.

2. Seabrook, New Hampshire, and Salisbury, Massachusetts: Seabrook-Salisbury Connector, 0.1 miles: The Seabrook-Salisbury Connector is a short but key segment currently connecting 2-plus miles of trail and allowing access to the forthcoming extension of the Salisbury Rail Trail from a public road. The natural surface, shared-use path provides trailhead facilities to users in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This segment will eventually play a role in connecting the developing Border-to-Boston Trail in Massachusetts and the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway.

3. Salem, Massachusetts: Border to Boston Trail, 0.2 miles: The newest section of the Border to Boston Trail in Salem includes the Harbor Walk Connector Path and an upgraded facility in Beattie Park, linking to the existing half-mile Peter Tracy Path. Following several new Greenway designations over the past two years, Salem’s developing trail network also links to the nearly 4-mile Marblehead Rail Trail. More on Border to Boston Trail expansion.

4. Marblehead, Massachusetts: Marblehead Rail Trail, 0.4 miles: The latest extension of the nearly 4-mile Marblehead Rail Trail runs between Clifton Avenue and Seaview Avenue. The natural surface trail completes the rail trail in Marblehead and closes the gap with the newly constructed Swampscott Rail Trail. To the north, the path connects with the Salem Bike Path as part of the Border to Boston Trail.

5. Swampscott, Massachusetts: Swampscott Rail Trail (Phase 1), 0.1 miles: This scenic new segment from Seaview Avenue to Beach Bluff Avenue is one of many new and enhanced trails between Boston and New Hampshire along the Border to Boston Trail. It is lined with a wooden fence and trees and connects to the nearly 4-mile Marblehead Rail Trail. Its crushed stone surface and smooth transitions at crossings make it an exciting first step of this multi-phase rail trail project.

6. Providence, Rhode Island: Blackstone River Bikeway Gano Gateway, 0.3 miles: This asphalt segment of the Blackstone River Bikeway creates a seamless off-road connection from Providence’s popular India Point Park to Pittman Street along the Seekonk River. Heading north, the Blackstone River Bikeway travels for more than 10 continuous miles and into Massachusetts.

7. Providence, Rhode Island: Providence River Pedestrian Bridge, 0.1 miles: The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is a short but key Greenway connection in Rhode Island’s capital providing a safe, traffic-free crossing. The bridge connects both sides of the Providence Innovation District Park and offers scenic views of downtown Providence. In addition to connecting 2 miles of the East Coast Greenway spine route, it links to 11.1 miles of the complementary route, primarily via the popular East Bay Bike Path.

8. Sterling, Connecticut, to Coventry, Rhode Island: Moosup Valley State Park Trail, 2.5 miles: Connecting two states, the Moosup Valley State Park Trail is a mixed-surface, forested path with nearly 1.5 miles in Rhode Island and just over 1 mile in Connecticut. To the east, the trail connects with Rhode Island’s Coventry Greenway, which will eventually lead to the Washington Secondary Bike Path and into Providence.

9. The Bronx, New York: Bronx River Greenway – West Farms Rapids Park, 0.2 miles: The latest addition to the Bronx River Greenway runs from East 180th Street to East Tremont Avenue and passes under elevated train tracks. This wooded, scenic stretch along the Bronx River closes a key gap in a soon-to-be 3.6-mile portion of the East Coast Greenway complementary route north of Manhattan.

10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Penn Treaty Park Path, 0.2 miles: This new section on the edge of the Fishtown neighborhood expands the Delaware River Trail south from Penn Treaty Park to Spring Garden Street as part of the regional Circuit Trails network. It features a new promenade with bench seating, scenic waterfront views and easy access to a recently upgraded playground. 

11. Camden, New Jersey: Cooper’s Poynt Park Waterfront Park Trail, 0.4 miles: The Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park Trail runs along the Delaware River in Camden, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge and overlooks the Philadelphia skyline. Connecting Camden residents to open space and an ADA-accessible playground, the trail is a short walk from downtown and the Ben Franklin Bridge’s south walkway entrance, all on the Circuit Trails network and the Delaware River Heritage Trail in development north to Trenton.

12. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Cobbs Connector Trail - Segment A, 0.5 miles: This segment extends the Cobbs Creek Trail in Southwest Philadelphia from 70th Street south to the historic Blue Bell Inn at Woodland Avenue. It connects nearby neighborhoods to the amenities of Cobbs Creek Park and improves safety along Cobbs Creek Parkway with a barrier-separated path through a narrow railroad underpass. The trail is a link in the Circuit Trails network and the Forge to Refuge Trail, ultimately connecting Valley Forge National Historic to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

13. Baltimore, Maryland: Jones Falls Trail Phase V Extension, 1.8 miles: The fifth phase of the Jones Falls Trail in North Baltimore extends from the Cylburn Arboretum northward toward the Baltimore County line. This addition brings Baltimore’s completion of the East Coast Greenway up to nearly 70 percent through the city along about 13 miles of trail, following the Jones Falls Trail, Gwynns Falls Trail and Middle Branch Trail, with pending trail connections to the north and south of the city. More on Jones Falls Trail expansion. 

 14. Washington, D.C.: Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, 0.5 miles: This trail segment consists of a promenade through the Southwest Waterfront Park and a traffic-separated bikeway and sidewalk along P Street SW, linking the Southwest Waterfront to the Navy Yard and major league sports venues Audi Field and Nationals Park. The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail will route over the new Frederick Douglass Bridge Path when completed in 2021 to connect with the historic Anacostia neighborhood and the rest of the Anacostia River Tributary Trail System of the greater Capital Trails Network.

15. Prince William County, Virginia: Multiple trail segments, 6.5 miles: Located near Woodbridge and Neabsco, these trail segments are wooded paths that wind by parks, neighborhoods and Belmont Bay. These trails include the Belmont Bay Shared Use Path, Veterans Memorial Park Trail, Rippon Boulevard Shared Use Path, Rippon Landing Park Trail, Blackburn Road Shared Use Path and four segments of the Route 1 Shared Use Path. Some of the segments also are part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, a Mid-Atlantic corridor connecting trails and historic sites.

16. Prince William County, Virginia: Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge Trail, 0.9 miles: The natural-surface Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge Trail is part of the expanding trail network in Prince William County, Virginia. The path connects with the existing, 1.4-mile Belmont Bay Shared Use Path and in the future will reach the Veterans Memorial Park Trail, currently accessible with a short on-road connection.

17. Cary, North Carolina: White Oak Greenway Phase IV, 0.4 miles: Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson calls this new phase the “golden spike project” because it connects the Greenway from Raleigh to Durham, which stretches 40-plus miles and is now almost entirely complete. The segment closed the final gap between MacArthur Drive and Davis Drive, crossing below a CSX rail line. It features a long boardwalk-style bridge with wooden railings that fit in perfectly with the neighborhood. Connecting to a longer section of the White Oak Greenway and to Davis Drive Park, the trail creates space for people to exercise and enjoy nature in this quickly-growing region. 

18. Surf City, North Carolina: Surf City Bridge Multi-Use Path, 0.8 miles: The Surf City Bridge Multi-Use Path traverses the Intracoastal Waterway and connects the mainland and beachfront of Surf City with easy access to Soundside Park. A North Carolina Department of Transportation project, the public, all-season path stretches almost a mile from Roland Avenue to New River Drive.

19. Kingsland, Georgia: Three Rivers Trail – Laurel Island Parkway, 4.6 miles: The longest new addition to the Greenway is a segment of the Three Rivers Trail in Camden County, Georgia. The nearly 5-mile, concrete trail runs along Laurel Island Parkway to Winding Road, crossing over Interstate 95 in the City of Kingsland. The Laurel Island Parkway trail is the longest completed segment of the Three Rivers Trail, which co-aligns with the Greenway and will connect the existing Woodbine Trail to the scenic St. Marys waterfront and a forthcoming ferry service to Florida. 

20. Neptune Beach, Florida: Neptune Beach Trail, 0.4 miles: This new segment connects the two existing sections of the Neptune Beach Trail from Jarboe Park to Atlantic Beach and leads from the City of Neptune Beach through a tree canopy path, connecting residences to community amenities and local businesses. The trail’s proximity to many homes in the area makes it a convenient way to take a short ride or make a day trip out of traveling in northeast Florida. With nearly 2 miles of paved trails, Neptune Beach is the first city in Florida where the Greenway is almost completely finished.

21. St. Augustine, Florida: Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail, 7 miles: A 7-mile extension of the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop was recently completed connecting Palatka to St. Augustine, Florida, along the former Florida East Coast Rail Corridor. The newly designated, paved segment between Hastings and East Palatka brings the existing Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail length to 19 protected miles.