| NEWS |
Wielding the scissors, Governor Lynch is all smiles at the trail opening. |
Windham Wows the Governor: Ribbon-Cutting Points Out Trail System Potential It's not every day the governor comes to town. But on September 16, 2006, a crowd of 350 welcomed Governor John Lynch to Windham, N.H., for the opening of 4.1 paved miles of the Windham Rail Trail. The Windham Middle School band played as dignitaries assembled and Governor Lynch acknowledged the hard work put into the project. "You all deserve a lot of credit," he said. "I'm hopeful this will be the start of a trail that goes all the way up to Concord." After cutting the ribbon, he joined in a short bike ride on the trail, while a Dixieland band entertained onlookers. The Windham Rail Trail is certainly a path worth celebrating. Shaded by white pines and hemlocks, the trail offers a varied landscape, with cuts through New Hampshire's famous granite and fills that raise the bed above the surrounding countryside. The rural trail also passes Mitchell Pond, where bird and aquatic life abound. The asphalt trail permits bicycling, walking, skateboarding and in-line skating, as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. A softer, five-foot stone dust shoulder accommodates joggers and equestrians. Motorized use is permitted only when the trail is snow-covered. More |
Windham Rail Trail Alliance President Mark Samsel points out trail sights to the governor, while his son Gregory leads the trio on the opening ride |
A hayride was also part of the entertainment. |
Photos trail opening © Mary Ann Horaj/Windham
Independent; riders on the Windham Rail Trail © Mary
Ann Horaj/Windham Independent; hayride © Mary Ann
Horaj/Windham Independent.
Independent; riders on the Windham Rail Trail © Mary
Ann Horaj/Windham Independent; hayride © Mary Ann
Horaj/Windham Independent.
STATE MUST LEAD ON TRAILS Excerpt from the Courant.com -A commentary written by Tom Condon 11/26/06 According to the November issue of Governing Magazine, cities across the country are working like mad to make themselves bike-friendly. They are adding bike paths and bike lanes, building shower and storage facilities and creating "bike boulevards," streets where auto traffic is limited and the design makes it easy to bike. Louisville & Chicago has become a city of the hunched shoulders, Spandex-wearer, racker of bikes. Why is this a good idea? Where to start? With traffic as it is, how many parents are comfortable with their kids riding bikes in the street? The number of registered motor vehicles in Connecticut has risen from 970,000 in 1960 to 3,001,298 this month, on essentially the same road system. Streets are crowded and dangerous, so kids are driven everywhere. In 1969, according to Federal Highway Administration figures, 50 percent of schoolchildren walked or biked to school. That number today is less than 15 percent. |
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation supports ECG A $5000 grant was awarded to the ECGA by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation toward the installation of ECG trail markers along our 18-mile route that currently follows Route 1A. The signage serves dual purposes: making the route easier to follow ECGA continues to work with local and state authorities to advance the off-road route that we expect will follow the bed of the Hampton Branch of the B&M Railroad. Over 4 miles of this 16-mile corridor are already abandoned and in state ownership. Rail-trail proponents are prepared to advocate for conversion to multi-use trail when abandonment procedures begin. Nov. 2007 newsletter ECG |
| JUNE 2008 The on-road route markers have been installed on Routes 1-A & 1-B. Some of the municaply owned detour roads may have not been posted yet. Please check the On-Road web page where there is a Google interactive map with the marked routes and photos. |
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| Riding The East Coast - 3000 Mile Bike Route To Pass Through The Seacoast Written by Patrick Law Thursday, 15 May 2008 (From THE WIRE) 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. more |
| New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway Inaugural September 2008 |
| Ribbon cutting ceremony at Strawbery Banke at noon on Saturday September 20,2008. There will be a Walk and/or Ride from Trefethen school in New Castle to Strawbery Banke at 10:00 AM. There will be Seacoast Greenway Rides from Seabrook to Portsmouth and Rye to Portsmouth. There will be a raffle with a bicycle as a grand prize as well as other items. More info to follow. |
