This Organization Is Building a Bike Path Across the Entire East Coast

One day in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to bike 3000 miles along a single path that winds through bustling cities and quiet countryside all the way from Maine to Florida. City Lab reports that the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), founded in 1991, is working to build a car-free greenway that connects 15 states along the East Coast, and they’re making great progress, more than doubling their budget between 2010 and 2015.

According to the ECGA’s latest strategic plan [PDF], the Greenway already spans over 850 miles and receives more than 10 million visits each year. But that’s just the beginning. The ECGA hopes to build 200 more miles of Greenway by 2020. Eventually, all of the disconnected bits and pieces of Greenway across the East Coast of the United States will be connected, allowing bicyclists, pedestrians, wheelchairs, and other non-motorized travelers to traverse the entirety of the East Coast on their own car-free path.

Right now, you can find disconnected strands of Greenway across the East Coast: It runs through parts of major cities like New York City and Philadelphia, and through suburbs and rural areas in all 15 states along the coast. So far, Florida boasts the longest portion of the Greenway with 229 miles of completed traffic-free trail.

“It’s about seeing America at the right speed, where you can take in all of the culture around you,” Director of Greenway Development Eric Weis told City Lab. “And you don’t have a windshield between yourself and the community.”

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