Letter to President-elect Biden

December 21, 2020 

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 

Dear Mr. President-elect:

Congratulations on your election as the 46th president of the United States. We also congratulate Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for her historic, groundbreaking election.

The victory speech you gave in Wilmington, Delaware, was a critical message that all citizens of our country needed to hear. We can come together to tackle the monumental challenges our nation faces. 

The speech was also significant to the East Coast Greenway Alliance for its location on the banks of the Christiana River and along the Jack A. Markell Trail that connects the Wilmington Riverwalk to the Amtrak Station bearing your name, a signature trail in the national East Coast Greenway system. In fact, the Greenway connects many parts of Delaware you are already closely familiar with, from the scenic James F. Hall Trail that links the University of Delaware and Newark to a planned trail connecting Claymont’s brand-new train station, revitalizing the old Evraz Claymont Steel site.

People are flocking to greenways and trails across the country as they strive to maintain their mental and physical health. We know you’ve seen this when you have been out biking. We at the East Coast Greenway Alliance see it play out in the numbers as well. In fact, the East Coast Greenway became the most visited park in America this year by hosting 50 million bike rides, runs, and walks.

The East Coast Greenway Alliance is committed to working with your administration to support active transportation infrastructure investments that put us on a path towards greater equity, addressing climate change and providing well-paying, family supporting jobs. 

As we look toward recovery in 2021, our nation needs to make visionary infrastructure investments that spur strong economic recovery and a healthy, equitable future. A Greenway Stimulus is a needed investment for safe active transportation that connects America from our biggest cities to our smallest towns, from our cultural heritage corridors to our national parks.

The East Coast Greenway is a transformative infrastructure project of national and regional significance. It is an integrated recreation and transportation corridor for safe walking and biking stretching 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, connecting our nation’s most populated corridor. Currently, 35 percent of it is built: your administration could finish it!  

The East Coast Greenway is designed to transform the 15 states it connects through active and healthy lifestyles, sustainable transportation, community engagement, climate resilience, tourism, and more. Led by the nonprofit the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Greenway offers a safe place for bicyclists, walkers, runners, and more — of all ages and abilities — to commute, exercise, and visit new destinations. 

The East Coast Greenway has received over $1 billion in funding to build more than 1,000 miles across its 15 states. It will require an additional $3 billion to finish the 3,000-mile national trail of significance. As a transformative infrastructure project, such funding would complete the project and help transform the 450 communities along the route, bringing people outdoors and to new areas to exercise and support local businesses. An investment in these projects would create more than 50,000 jobs, according to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials research. 

The East Coast Greenway Alliance looks forward with optimism to working with your administration in the years ahead.

Sincerely, 

Dennis Markatos-Soriano, Executive Director                                       

Niles Barnes, Deputy Director