Young cyclists on Spanish Moss Trail in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Design Guide

In our updated Greenway Criteria & Design Guide, East Coast Greenway Alliance staff and volunteer partners have compiled information and resources for the planning, design, construction, promotion, and maintenance of local East Coast Greenway segments.

The Guide defines our vision of a protected, connected series of safe facilities for a continuous non-motorized route from Maine to Florida. Here you can find requirements for Greenway segment design and construction, illustrated with photographs, along with links to best-practice planning and design guidelines.

Greenway Criteria & Design Guide Webinar

Our regional Greenway coordinators are offered a deep dive into our new design guide and how recent changes in criteria may affect East Coast Greenway development in their areas. Click the button to download the webinar slides and view the webinar in the YouTube link below:

Download webinar slides
me portland eastern prom winter 2014
Construction of the Eastern Promenade in Portland, Maine, in 2014.

East Coast Greenway Criteria & Design Guide Webinar

Download Design Guide

Federal, state, and local elected officials, city and regional planners, and local advocates will find requirements for Greenway segment design and construction. New and updated sections include a list of technical resources, a glossary of common terms and acronyms, and a new section on potentially allowable on-road facilities.

Write to us and we'll send you links to download PDFs of the design guide — a smaller interactive version with live links and a larger file suitable for desktop printing.

Fill out my online form.
screen shot 2019 07 23 at 3 04 28 pm

Sampling of Greenway segments

The Greenway runs through the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on a natural surface.

The Greenway runs through the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on a natural surface.

East Coast Greenway/American Tobacco Trail sign for bike and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 40 in Durham, North Carolina.

East Coast Greenway/American Tobacco Trail sign for bike and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 40 in Durham, North Carolina.

The Spanish Moss Trail in Beaufort, South Carolina, was built with a combination of private foundation and county funding.

The Spanish Moss Trail in Beaufort, South Carolina, was built with a combination of private foundation and county funding.

Walnut Creek Trail in Raleigh, NC, built over sewer easement.

Walnut Creek Trail in Raleigh, NC, built over sewer easement.

Near Long Wharf in New Haven, Connecticut, this cycle track -- a two-way bicycle lane, separated from motor vehicle traffic by delineators and paint -- is one of the newest segments of the East Coast Greenway.

Near Long Wharf in New Haven, Connecticut, this cycle track -- a two-way bicycle lane, separated from motor vehicle traffic by delineators and paint -- is one of the newest segments of the East Coast Greenway.

Maine: Eastern Trail, 20 miles. Just south of Portland, this trail runs south from Scarborough to West Kennebunk, mostly on crushed stone and asphalt. The highlight is the stretch through the stunning Scarborough Marsh, the largest saltwater marsh in Maine, where you’ll join kayakers and avid birders viewing peregrine falcons, ibis, and many other impressive birds.

Maine: Eastern Trail, 20 miles. Just south of Portland, this trail runs south from Scarborough to West Kennebunk, mostly on crushed stone and asphalt. The highlight is the stretch through the stunning Scarborough Marsh, the largest saltwater marsh in Maine, where you’ll join kayakers and avid birders viewing peregrine falcons, ibis, and many other impressive birds.

Regional Coordinators

Questions about a particular Greenway segment or future segment? Contact our regional Greenway coordinators, listed here by region from north to south.

Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island: Kristine Keeney

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey: Bruce Donald

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C.: Daniel Paschall

Virginia, North Carolina: Sarah Sanford

South Carolina, Georgia: Brent Buice

Florida: V Christiansen

Overall Greenway questions: Niles Barnes, deputy director

Greenway Council

Our national body sets route standards and reviews new Greenway segments to ensure they meet those standards.

Chair: Andy Clarke, Virginia 

Bret Baronak, North Carolina 

Jeff Behm, New York 

Scott Bogle, New Hampshire

Eric Brenner, Washington, DC

Champe Burnley, Virginia

David Connelly, North Carolina

Jean Crowther, Oregon

Heather Dunigan, Delaware

Lisa Fernandez, Connecticut

Robert Gaston, Maryland

Bob Hamblen, Maine

Matthew Johnson, New Jersey

Tom Kaiden, Virginia 

Jack Keene, Maryland

Shawn Megill Legendre, Pennsylvania

Chris Linn, Pennsylvania

Anne Maleady, Colorado

Megan Massey, New Jersey

Melissa Miklus, Maryland 

Sarah Mitchell, Rhode Island 

Matthew Moldenhauer, South Carolina

Colin Moore, Florida

Janine Peccini, Massachusetts

Stuart Popper, Connecticut

Dave Read, Massachusetts

Mary Roth, Delaware 

Phil Riggan, Virginia 

Tommy Sailors, Georgia

Boaz Shattan, New York 

Karl Soderholm, Florida

Larry Stuber, Georgia

Iona Thomas, North Carolina

Join the Greenway!

Your support helps to develop this ambitious, 3,000-mile route, Canada to Key West. Your membership gift builds more protected miles that we can all enjoy, today and for generations to come.

Donate Today