SCARBOROUGH – This year the popular Eastern Trail, which runs 65 miles from Kittery to South Portland, with many off-road sections, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The very first section of the trail, which is part of the larger East Coast Greenway, running from Florida to Maine, was built off Pine Point Road in Scarborough in 2004.

A decade on, roughly $13 million has been spent and 21 miles of off-road trails have been built, according to Bob Hamblen, president of the Eastern Trail Alliance, the group that oversees trail development and maintenance in Maine.

That $13 million, Hamblen said, “includes remarkable individual efforts on the part of South Portland and Scarborough,” which boasts the most miles of off-road trails, including the Greenbelt Walkway, which runs the length of South Portland, ending at Bug Light Park.

“One of the pleasures of helping to get this trail developed is seeing the responses of the communities in which it’s built,” Hamblen said. “Our experience has been that people love the trail. Like the movie said, ‘you build it, they will come,’ and it’s been true. Towns along the trail have each embraced it, and it’s quickly become part of the fabric of each community.”

Hamblen said the best thing about the Eastern Trail system is that, “We see friends and neighbors on the trail and we realize that being outdoors, exercising and sharing this small part of our community enhances our appreciation of where we live, work and enjoy life.”

He said future plans for the Eastern Trail include closing a mile-long gap that now exists between Scarborough and South Portland, which would run from Pleasant Hill Road to the Wainwright Field Complex.

“The good news is that over $600,000 is now committed (for this section of the trail) with work set to begin later this year,” Hamblen said. In addition, both Kennebunk and Wells have committed to beginning design work on another nine miles of trail that would bring the Eastern Trail to the North Berwick line.

John Andrews, former president of the Eastern Trail Alliance and the man most associated with promoting the dream of the trail system, said this week, “When we set out to build the Eastern Trail, we knew what we hoped to achieve, but must have wondered if our critics were right when they told us we were crazy, that we were wasting our time on an impossible dream.”

“Looking back over the 10 years since the first visible sign of progress, building the Eastern Trail across the Scarborough Marsh, we can all be pleased at our frankly amazing accomplishments,” he added.

Those accomplishments include building bridges over the Dunstan River in Scarborough, Route 1 in Saco, the Kennebunk River and the Maine Turnpike.

However, Andrews also said, “despite these wonderful successes, as Robert Frost once observed, ‘we have miles to go before we sleep.’ Casco Bay is not yet connected to Kittery, but it surely will be.”

In celebrating the 10th year of the Eastern Trail, Hamblen said, “Anniversaries like this one provide an opportunity to look back and enjoy the memories, but also to measure progress.

In all, the Eastern Trail Alliance consists of a 12-town management district and it follows the route of the historic Eastern Railroad, the first rail line connecting Boston and Portland.

Both Andrews and Hamblen said that the popularity of the first section of the Eastern Trail, which runs through the Scarborough Marsh, had a huge hand in seeing the trail system expand and gain in popularity during the past 10 years.

And according to a press release issued by the Eastern Trail Alliance this spring, “that (Scarborough Marsh) section of trail is still immensely popular with commuters, walkers, cyclists and birders.”

Scarborough Town Planner Dan Bacon said the Eastern Trail is “a great recreational asset for (the town), and as the connections to our neighboring communities continue, it can increasingly be an alternative commuting, transportation option for the region.”

Bacon added that the Eastern Trail “provides a great place for people to get out and exercise and see friends, as well as get exposure to the Scarborough Marsh and the natural environment. It’s a facility that is appealing to local residents, as well as tourists and seasonal visitors. For all of these reasons, the Eastern Trail positively contributes to the appeal and quality of life in Scarborough.”

He also said that off-road trails like the Eastern Trail system are special because they give people a chance to get away from the world for a while, in a quiet spot, dedicated to non-motorized use.

In order to complete the Eastern Trail in Scarborough, Bacon said a crossing over the Nonesuch River is required, as well as construction of the section from Pleasant Hill Road to the Wainwright fields, which will occur this year.

Overall, Bacon said, “I think it’s important for people to know how much effort and cooperation goes into the design, funding, construction and upkeep of the Eastern Trail. It is only possible due to the collective efforts and hard work of the towns involved, the Eastern Trail Management District, the Eastern Trail Alliance, the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation group, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, federal transportation funding and more.”

A CLOSER LOOK

The Eastern Trail Alliance has a new, updated trail guide available at several local outlets and through its website. In addition, several special events are scheduled for the trail this summer and fall. See www.easterntrail.org for more information.

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The first section of the Eastern Trail in Maine was built off Pine Point Road in Scarborough 10 years ago. This popular section of the walking and biking trail, which links Kittery to South Portland, runs through the Scarborough Marsh. Bird watching is a popular activity along the Scarborough Marsh section of the Eastern Trail.  Earlier this spring key people involved with the development of the Eastern Trail in Scarborough 10 years ago gathered to celebrate. From left are Anita Daley, John Andrews, the initial mover and shaker behind the trail system, Bruce Gullifer, director at Scarborough Community Services, and Tom Daley.