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Section of Town of Cary Greenway System to Become Part of the East Coast Greenway System

3,000-mile greenway to connect 25 communities from Maine to Florida

 

June 12, 2009

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary has been given the green light to become part of the nation’s East Coast Greenway system, a proposed 3,000-mile, shared-use pathway that will pass through the Triangle and the Town of Cary and connect 25 cities along the eastern seaboard from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.  At its regular meeting on Thursday, May 28, the Cary Town Council unanimously approved endorsing the use of a Cary greenway corridor as a segment of the East Coast Greenway; the Town has begun working with state and national agencies to select the corridor that will become part of the greenway system. 

 

The East Coast Greenway vision is for a long-distance, urban, shared-use trail system that will serve non-motorized users of all abilities and ages. This green travel corridor will provide cyclists, walkers, and other muscle-powered modes of transportation with a low-impact way to explore the eastern seaboard. 

 

Completion of the trail is spearheaded by the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), a non-profit organization. Based out of Wakefield , RI , the ECGA promotes the vision for connecting local trails and provides strategic assistance for states, counties and municipalities that build and maintain the trail.  The ECGA doesn’t build or own trails: locally owned and managed trails make up the Greenway.

 

“We’re honored to join in this national initiative to connect our beautiful resources and local greenway users with communities along the eastern seaboard,” said Mary Henderson, director of Cary ’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources department.  “Participating in this national initiative is just one of the ways the Town is going the extra mile to promote healthy living and a better quality of life for our citizens.”

 

The Town of Cary currently manages 40 miles of greenways with an additional 26 miles that are currently being planned.  In 2007, Cary was awarded the FIT Community designation, a public acknowledgment of the Town’s livability and commitment to improving the quality of life for its residents through programs and policies.

 

The East Coast Greenway has been designated a National Millennium Trail, an initiative that occurred in 2000 and was part of the White House Millennium Council's efforts to stimulate national and local activities to "honor the past and imagine the future." The public/private partnership was led by the Department of Transportation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and a collaboration of other agencies and organizations.  The program was designed to spark the creation and enhancement of trails across the nation as part of America 's legacy for the future.

 

As of 2009, more than 21 percent of the designated trail segments for the East Coast Greenway have been completed, which are located in all but one state along the trail’s corridor. The East Coast Greenway is also planned to extend through Durham and Raleigh .  Users can experience the greenway today on the more than 100 completed trail sections along the East Coast Greenway corridor.

 

For more, visit the official East Coast Greenway site at www.greenway.org or Cary’s Greenways & Trails  at www.townofcary.org.

 

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PRIMARY CONTACTS:

Doug McRainey, Parks Planning Manager, (919) 460-4973

Mary Henderson, Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources, (919) 469-4066

April Raphiou, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 481-5091  
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, (919) 393-4383