Not everyone thinks small, it turns out. Look at the timeline of walking history at the top of the Hall of Fame section for the year 1991, where you will see a dot representing the November day a handful of idealistic cyclists got together in New York City and said, in effect, “hey, let’s build a greenway that stretches from Maine to Florida.” Crazy, right? A three thousand mile greenway rambling through farmland and cities, riversides and suburbia? A car-free walking and cycling route along the entire East Coast? What were they thinking?
Nineteen years later the East Coast Greenway is one quarter done and another twenty percent is under construction. For the time being, the rest of the trail still coexists on roads used by cars, but according to Eric Weis, the Trail Program Coordinator at the East Coast Greenway Alliance, it’s only a matter of time before weekendwalk.com will be able to put another dot on the timeline marking the day the trail is completed.
They also, by the way, have a great website loaded with maps and ideas.
Weekendwalk’s Atilio Barreda II caught up with Eric in Providence, Rhode Island recently for the first of our new series of interviews with the people who are on the front lines of changing the way America travels.
WeekendWalk: Thanks for taking time off from being a new father to speak to us today! Could you first discuss the origins and history of the East Coast Greenway?
Eric Weis: You're welcome, it's my pleasure. The project was conceived in 1990. It was initially supposed to span from Boston to DC. Since its inception, however, the East Coast Greenway has increased and and spans the entirety of the U.S.'s East Coast, from Calais, Maine to the Florida Key West, a distance of approximately 3000 miles.
WeekendWalk: Why do you think the East Coast Greenway experienced the large amount of expansion it did over the past 20 years?
Eric Weis: I think it was because it was a really great vision. It's is a modern trail, connecting urban centers in an environmentally conscientious way. There is a sense of viewing it as a new sister to the Appalachian trail, but, with some interesting differences which makes the East Coast Greenway a welcome and useful new route for transportation along the East Coast.
While the Appalachian Trail is mostly a means to “get away from it all” the East Coast Greenway provides bicycle and wheelchair accessible ways to get to school and work, spend time with your family, as well a means for excursion off the beaten path. We know that human powered transportation is going to become more important in the future, and it is already increasing today. So the East Coast Greenway, located in the most populated part of the U.S., will be an increasingly important part of our transportation in the years to come.
WeekendWalk: What have been some challenges faced in developing the East Coast Greenway?
Eric Weis: The main challenge for the project has been the cost of building and maintaining the extensive trail system. It is more difficult to secure the funds for this type of transportation because it's not as big as automobile transportation. With that said, however, the interest is definitely there, and when people understand what the East Coast Greenway is about, it's rare that we are not welcome.
The East Coast Greenway definitely speaks to needs and concerns in our society, from decreasing dependency on fossil fuels to combatting obesity to addressing the lack of public recreational space. It's still a huge project though, we need money to transform the interest into actual planning, then you need design engineering and the money to actually lay down the asphalt.
WeekendWalk: What is your personal experience with the East Coast Greenway? What parts of the trail would you recommend?
Eric Weis: Since coming joining the East Coast Greenway Alliance in 1998, I've had the chance to experience parts of the East Coast Greenway in all states that it goes through, and there have been six states where I've done the entire trail. It was a great experience and motivates me to face the challenges and work for expansion and maintenance of the much needed trail.
As for specific parts of the trail, it really depends on what you're looking for. The East Coast Greenway currently provides a means to walk or bike along the entire Atlantic coast, however, the trail varies significantly in different areas, from long stretches of trail along rural landscapes to parts of the trail that follow roads in or along towns and major cities.
The best urban riding is in the mid-atlantic; New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all have great urban trail systems. Also, between Boston and northern Virginia there is a high concentration of motels and hostels which allow people to travel inexpensively and lightly. The trail area around Savannah and Charleston also provide great lodging.
WeekendWalk: Are there any upcoming additional trails to the East Coast Greenway that are you particularly excited about?
Eric Weis: Two really interesting projects that come to mind are the upcoming Downeast Sunrise and Florida Keys Overseas Heritage trails. The Downeast Sunrise is currently being constructed in northeastern Maine and will span 87 miles of the Calais Branch rail corridor. It will be accessible to not only pedestrians cyclists, and equestrians, but also ATVs, and snowmobiles and cross-country skiers in the winter. The Overseas Heritage Trail's 106 miles are a little over halfway completed (with the remainder being on road). The trail starts at Key Largo and ends at Key West and has gorgeous views of the water, tropical woodland, wetlands, mangroves, and North America's only living coral system.
WeekendWalk: You've been working for the East Coast Greenway for many years, and have only recently become a father. When you took on this job to help preserve and build out trails along the Eastern Seaboard, did you imagine you might be doing it with your daughter's generation in mind?
Eric Weis: Its been clear to me from the beginning that this project is forward thinking and for the benefit of future generations. We currently have a useable trail, you can certainly bike or walk across the U.S., but most of it is on streets or sidewalks. When my daughter sees it it will be a completely different trail and those of us who work on the East Coast Greenway really see it as a gift to future generations.
WeekendWalk: Where do you envision traveling with your daughter in the future?
Eric Weis: I anticipate bringing her everywhere I can, both on foot and by bike. I'd love to go hiking with her, as my wife and and I are avid hikers. We feel that hiking allows you to see so much of your environment, in a way that any other modes of traveling never can. I'm pretty excited for the completion of Maine's Downeast Sunrise Trail as I mentioned – it's bound to be one the many beautiful and accessible trails on the East Coast Greenway!
