Construction is officially underway on the long-anticipated Close the Gap project in Scarborough. In partnership with the town of Scarborough, Eastern Trail Alliance and the MaineDOT, the project will add 1.6 miles of off-road trail to the Eastern Trail, connecting the trail segment off Eastern Road to the northern trail segment near the Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland.

The new segment will eliminate a key on-road gap, improving safety and accessibility for trail users. The completion of a 1.6 mile “gap” in trail will provide 16 miles of continuous off-road connection from South Portland’s Bug Light to downtown Saco.

The project is the result of several years of work to raise the necessary funds, complete the project design, align stakeholders, and acquire the necessary permits and land rights. It went out to bid in spring 2025 and construction began in June.

Plans for the Eastern Trail first began in 1998, when a group now called the Eastern Trail Alliance held its first public meeting to make a trail connect Scarborough and Saco. Other major milestones were the steel footbridge over Scarborough Marsh that was installed in November 2004, South Portland Greenbelt completed in 2005, and trail extensions to Kennebunk in 2010-2011.

The Close the Gap fundraising campaign began in 2012 with gradual momentum over the past 13 years.

The construction project will be completed in phases. The section from Pleasant Hill Road to Wainwright is expected to be completed by October 2026. The section from the Nonesuch River crossing (off Eastern Road extension) to Pleasant Hill Road will take a little longer, as it requires the construction of two bridges (one over the river, and the other over the railroad tracks).

The full project will likely be complete in October 2027. For updates, visit scarboroughmaine.org/close-the-gap.

Allison Carrier is marketing and communications manager for Scarborough. She can be reached at acarrier@scarboroughmaine.org.