An ambitious plan set in motion 25 years ago is already almost a third of the way complete, with 850 miles of paved trails that will connect 450 towns from the Canadian border at Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida via the 3,000 mile East Coast Greenway—and The Bronx is a part of this interconnected network of existing and planned trails.
Thousands of cyclists are already using the existing trails in The Bronx which comprise the East Coast Greenway in our home borough such as The Bronx River Greenway, Pelham and Mosholu Parkways Greenway, Shore Road Greenway, through Van Cortlandt Park and many other local greenways.
These Bronx greenways and trails contribute over 13 miles to the East Coast Greenway
You can even see markers for the greenway along these points in The Bronx.
Besides the 3,000 miles of the main greenway, there are approximately 1,000 miles of “complimentary routes and spurs including one that takes you down The Bronx River greenway from the river’s source in Westchester and down through the South Bronx.
One of the many goals of the ECG is to not only create a 3,000-mile greenway for long distance biking but to encourage local communities it runs through to a healthier lifestyle whether it’s biking and exploring along the trail in their neighborhoods or walking, jogging, running as well.
Once it’s ready, it will be possible to complete the entire path in one month by biking 100 miles per day. However, that’s not the intent, according to its founders. The project hopes to encourage people to slow down and experience all that the Eastern seaboard has to offer by stopping to visit some of the sites and cities along the way.
“It’s about seeing America at the right speed, where you can take in all of the culture around you,” Dennis Markatos-Soriano, the executive director of ECGA, told City Lab. “And you don’t have a windshield between yourself and the community.”
The Bronx River Alliance, Sustainable South Bronx, and Mosholu Preservation Corporation are just some of the many local organizations that have partnered up with the East Coast Greenway to make this a reality.
There is no set timeline when the entire project will be completed but according to Travel and Leisure, officials believe the entire trail will be traffic free some time in the 2030s. This is a truly exciting endeavor and we’re just happy that The Bronx can be a part of this adventure.
In the meantime, we can enjoy our existing local greenways until the entire system is completed.
Oh and take THAT Brooklyn. Finally something cool that only The Bronx and Manhattan are a part of .
