East Coast Greenway celebrates key New Hampshire trail opening

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire - A new 7.8-mile segment of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway, connecting Portsmouth to Hampton, officially opened Wednesday, Sept. 4, marking significant progress for the East Coast Greenway in New England. 

A ribbon-cutting celebration at Portsmouth Skate Park featured remarks from East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and other local and regional officials and trail supporters.

“I traveled here from our headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, because today is a big day for the entire Eastern Seaboard,” Markatos-Soriano said. “I’ve been leading the East Coast Greenway Alliance for 15 years, and the Greenway progress now underway in New Hampshire rivals the fastest I’ve seen in any of our 15 states.”

With this addition, New Hampshire has completed more than 50% of its East Coast Greenway route, advancing from last place to the top eight states in trail completion. The full New Hampshire section is expected to be completed within the next decade.

This progress is part of broader momentum for the East Coast Greenway in New England. The new segment is a key link in the development of a 150-mile stretch connecting Portland, Maine, to Boston - and the nearly complete 250-mile segment from Boston to New Haven, Connecticut.

"The idea of getting on this path and going to Florida, that's pretty awesome," Gov. Sununu said. "That's the reality that we hope to see in the years to come. [This segment] is a small but very integral part of that vision. For us in the Granite State, it's a big part of what we're trying to do with rail-trails."

The completed Phase 1 of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway stretches from Portsmouth to Hampton, establishing a critical connection to Maine. Meanwhile, feasibility studies are underway for extending the Eastern Trail’s connectivity from Kittery to North Berwick in Maine.

South of today's newly opened segment, another 1.6-mile trail segment through Hampton is currently in the design phase, with construction expected in the coming years. Additionally, the proposed 2.3-mile Hampton Marsh section, which will connect Drakeside Road in Hampton to the Hampton Falls/Seabrook town line, received a $1.4 million RAISE Grant this spring to advance its planning and design.

The final 2.3 miles of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway, which will connect through Seabrook to the completed Salisbury Rail Trail in Massachusetts, is slated for construction in 2030.

The New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway has been a collaborative effort since planning began in 2007 - a partnership between the East Coast Greenway Alliance, Rockingham Planning Commission and the nonprofit New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway Alliance.

We have worked in collaboration with the seven corridor communities of Portsmouth, Greenland, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Hampton Falls and Seabrook; the New Hampshire Department of Transportation; chambers of commerce; the National Park Service; trail groups in neighboring states; the University of New Hampshire; and many dedicated volunteers.

“Americans need safe places to bike and walk separated from the huge and distracted vehicles of the day,” Markatos-Soriano added. “By building out this linear park, New Hampshire is choosing to Live Free, for everyone from babies in strollers and young children learning to bike to grandparents enjoying an afternoon walk.”