Trail users in Saco - your time is at hand. Construction of a local section of the Eastern Trail began in late May, and will be completed by November. The newest section of what will be a 65 mile multi-use trail stretching from Kittery to South Portland is being built by Shaw Brothers, a Gorham-based construction firm. This 4.4 mile portion of the ET will run from Milliken Mills Road in OOB south to Clark Street, adjacent to the Thornton Academy campus.

The Eastern Trail, seen here from Cascade Road looking south, is a multi-use trail intended for pedestrians,runners, bicycles, strollers, and cross-country skiers.

A prominent feature of this newest section of the ET will be a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Route One near Goosefare Brook. The roughly 85 foot span will be crossed with a pre-fabricated steel bridge that will be placed with a crane sometime in mid-Fall. Construction of the concrete abutments will begin in early August, with this part of the work being subcontracted to Cianbro Corp.

The project is largely financed with Federal Highway Administration funding, in addition to a $500,000 bond approved by Saco voters in 2007. Access to the trail will be possible from the Thornton Academy campus, also from a new sidewalk that will be built along Main Street in front of Hannaford, from Moody Street which will be crossed by the trail, from the Silver Springs campground, from Mill Brook Business Park, and from Cascade Road.

The trail will provide an option for those traveling from the downtown area to the attractions along Rte. One, with convenient access to Mill Brook Road, then to Funtown Splashtown USA, Cinemagic, Martel's, the auto dealerships and more.