SABR : Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes

Seacoast Bicycle Routes

The Seacoast is a fantastic place to ride a bicycle. Settled as early as 1632 (Portsmouth and Dover Point) today's roadways stem from a centuries-old series of narrow carriage roads that are both the boon and the bane of riding a bike in the region. Most of the vehicular traffic in the Seacoast sticks to Routes 1, 1A, 101, 16, 4, I95 and the city streets of Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter and Hampton, leaving miles of lightly-trafficked 35-mph roads along the coast and through the countryside for bicycle nirvana. Though New Hampshire's Seacoast is only 17 miles long (the shortest of any state with a coastline), it offers some of the most scenic, beautiful coastal riding on the Atlantic Seaboard.

NEW HAMPSHIRE DepARTMENT of Transportation Bicycle Route Maps

Statewide and Regional Bicycle Route Maps have been produced by the NH Department of Transportation.

Printed copies of statewide and regional bicycle route maps can be obtained from the New Hampshire Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Larry Keniston at 603-271-2468.

Maine Department of Transportation Bicycle Route Maps

For copies of The Maine Bike Map, call the Maine DOT at 207-287-6600.

http://www.exploremaine.org/bike/eastern_trail.html
(Maine's bike touring site)

Info on bicycle touring in Maine is available at the Maine DOT Bicycle Tour Homepage

Eastern Trail Maps

The Eastern Trail Alliance is working hard to reestablish the railroad corridor in southern Maine from Kittery to Portland as a recreational greenway.

Maps of the on-road version of the eastern Trail are available in the Eastern Trail On-Road Guide
The On-Road guide is only available as a PDF document. You will need Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF version of the guide.

East Coast Greenway

Walkers, cyclists, and other trail advocates have joined forces around an audacious project, a 2,900 mile traffic-free path linking East Coast cities from Maine to Florida. Launched only 10 years ago, this vision for an urban alternative to the highly popular Appalachian Trail is quickly becoming a reality.

East Coast Greenway Alliance: www.greenway.org

NH Seacoast Greenway Committee: www.nhseacoastgreenway.org

Maps of the East Coast Greenway

By GEOFF CUNNINGHAM Jr.
Thursday, October 7, 2010

PORTSMOUTH — The Tuesday signing of an executive order by the governors of Maine and New Hampshire has transportation officials already working on an "aggressive" plan that could see a Memorial Bridge replacement project starting next fall.

Only hours after NH Governor John Lynch and Maine Gov. John Baldacci traveled to Portsmouth to ink an order showing their joint commitment to replacing the embattled 87-year-structure, project officials in New Hampshire were drafting a memorandum of agreement that will pave the way for the design of new lift-span bridge carrying Route 1 between downtown Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine.

Gov. Lynch indicated Tuesday that work could begin as early as the fall of 2011 with a "Bi-State Bridge Funding Task Force" having been established to look at financing options between the two states.

NH Department of Transportation Project Manager Bob Landry said he and other DOT personnel spent Tuesday afternoon working on a memorandum of agreement that would need to be signed by NH DOT Commissioner George Campbell and Maine DOT Commissioner David Cole before getting the final blessing from the governors of both states.

He said the document would pave the way for transportation officials to initiate a process to design a replacement bridge whose final funding wouldn't need to be approved until a later date.

New Hampshire has secured funding for a Memorial Bridge project that could run upward of $90 million, but Maine requires legislative approval for spending on such an endeavor.

Landry — the man heading up the replacement project for New Hampshire — said transportation officials will work with HDR Engineering to develop plans for replacement options.

He said that firm should be able to hit the ground running because of their understanding of Memorial Bridge.

"They have a good knowledge of the bridge from the inspections and also have nationwide design-build knowledge," Landry said.

Landry said the goal will be to have requests for proposals out this spring.

The public could see preliminary schematic designs of a replacement bridge as early as November when stakeholders would be presented with a "skyline replica" model giving them an idea of what it would look like.

The meeting would allow the residents input on bridge design and would come around a time when the final results of an ongoing "connections study" are set to be released to the public.

Landry said the goal will be to build a bridge that looks similar to the existing Memorial Bridge "from a distance" so that it fits the historic feel of the region, but he said the replacement will employ new materials and mechanisms aimed at reducing long-term maintenance/operational costs.

Planning will involve looking at the feasibility of replacing the bridge on its existing piers while also widening it to allow for the room necessary to accommodate bike/pedestrian travel alongside vehicular traffic.

Landry said any design/build contract would need approval in New Hampshire by the Governor and Executive Council under state law because it exceeds $25 million.

New Hampshire has submitted an application seeking federal stimulus funding for the project, but there has been no word on when they will receive word about the awarding of such grants.

Landry said state planners and consultants will need to work amid an "aggressive" schedule to make sure a project has a chance of getting under way next fall, but he expressed optimism that it can be done.

"We have a lot of work to do," Landry said.