The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit aiming to create a transportation infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, stretching from Maine to Florida. Their vision is for a long-distance, urban, shared-use trail system linking 25 major cities along the eastern seaboard. It will serve non-motorized users of all abilities and ages.

The North Carolina routes are two: one from the Triangle to Fayetteville to Wilmington, and another that runs from Virginia down the coast to Wilmington. Only 14% of North Carolina’s 390-mile route is currently on trails, and another 7% is in development. And 60% of the route is still “gap” area, where no off-road routing potential has been located. The NC Committee is working hard to identify future routing possibilities for these areas.

In total, the Eastern Seaboard 3,000-mile long spine route will be accompanied by 2,000 miles of alternate routes that link in key cities, towns, and areas of natural beauty. This green travel corridor will provide cyclists, walkers, and other muscle-powered modes of transportation with a low-impact way to explore the eastern seaboard.

Estimated cost for the spine route is $3-4 billion with alternate routes costing another $2 billion. But, while federal funds are the major source for building Greenway segments, the federal government does not play a lead role. The Alliance seeks involvement from other state and local agencies, trail advocates and other non-profits.

The project's scope is huge; it will take decades to achieve their goal of a mostly off-road Greenway. Currently, and for many years to come, portions of the route temporarily follow roads that link the completed trail sections together and enable public use. But the vision is for the ECG to be entirely off-road and traffic-free.

The Alliance notes that the Appalachian Trail was largely on road for many decades and is just now achieving a fully secured off-road right-of-way after 80 years of effort. Theirs is a long-term project, hoping to achieve a 95% traffic-free route by 2030.

Follow their North Carolina blog here.