Our history
In the summer of 2001, the late Joe Marshall, a Guilford resident, visited Rhode Island and rode his bike on the East Bay Trail that skirts Narragansett Bay. He was so impressed with this beautiful trail that he came home to Guilford and convinced a group of runners, walkers, and cyclists that we should have a similar trail along the shoreline of Connecticut. The group established an ambitious goal: a 25-mile multiuse trail from Lighthouse Point in New Haven to Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison.
The founders established a board of directors representing all four towns the trail was initially planned to traverse: East Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison. Leaders from each town formed their own local teams to spur trail development in their towns.
By December 2002, more than 400 contributing members and hundreds of volunteers had joined the effort. The organization had incorporated and four months later received a 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit tax designation. Shoreline Greenway Trail, Inc. was born with a founding chair, Chip Angle.
This grass roots, volunteer organization has grown substantially over time. Thousands of members, supporters and volunteers have dedicated themselves to bringing this exciting vision to fruition. Hundreds of volunteers have worked on planning and design, clearing, permitting, construction, and, of course, fundraising. Corporations, foundations, community service groups, youth groups, and more than 3,000 shoreline families have contributed funds to the effort. The U.S. Department of Transportation, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection have invested in the project. To date, the trail has received more than $5 million in grants, bonding, and donations.
Most recently, the city of New Haven received $9 million in funding to construct a section of the Shoreline Greenway Trail to connect with the trail in East Haven. The board of Shoreline Greenway Trail voted to invite supporters in New Haven to form a town team and participate as Directors of Shoreline Greenway Trail. With the New
Haven section, the Shoreline Greenway Trail will eventually link to the Farmington Canal Trail and the East Coast Greenway.
Timeline of
Key Events
2001
First meeting of founders was held in Guilford. Town teams formed and the concept was adopted for a 25-mile multiuse trail from New Haven to Madison.
2002
First public meeting was held at Guilford Community Center with 120 people in attendance.
First Selectmen of Madison, Guilford and Branford, and the Mayor of East Haven issued a joint proclamation of support.
Shoreline Greenway Trail was incorporated.
East Haven town team established a partnership with Boy Scout Troop 401 that led to a great deal of volunteer work by the Scouts over the years.
2003
Statements of support were issued by U.S. Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.
Shoreline Greenway Trail gained federal approval for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. First fundraising campaign yielded $14,000.
The first trail groundbreaking was held in East Haven on town property off Elliot Street (the former site of D.C. Moore School) with trail clearing undertaken by Boy Scout Troop 401 and a crew from East Haven Public Service Department.
2004
The Guilford Team held a groundbreaking for its first landowner-donated section on Bearhouse Hill Road. This location was later replaced by the board’s revised priority to develop a route south of Route One where most people bike and walk.
2005
U.S. Department of Transportation awarded three grants totaling $2.65 million for construction of the Shoreline Greenway Trail in East Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison.
South Central Regional Council of Governments presented an Award of Excellence in Regional Planning to Shoreline Greenway Trail in East Haven.
2006
East Haven completed its first trail section off Elliot Street.
Boy Scout Troop 401 cleared an additional 719 foot spur from the completed trail off Elliot Street to an overlook of the Bradford Preserve, offering a glimpse of Long Island Sound.
Madison volunteers began clearing to define a trail route traversing Hammonassset Beach State Park.
2007
Branford’s first section, Pine Orchard/Birch Road, opened.
A design study to map out the full length of the trail was undertaken by the engineering firm of Stantec under the direction of the South Central Regional Council of Governments.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, through its Recreational Trails Program, granted $23,200 each to East Haven and Branford for trail construction.
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection approved the proposed westward trail route in Hammonasset Beach State Park.
2008
Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $665,000 in matching funds for the 2005 federal grant.
Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield granted $100,000 to begin construction of the trail in Hammonasset Beach State Park, the first sizeable private grant to the trail.
Branford’s Tilcon Road trail section was completed.
The Branford town team received permission from the town to designate the Stony Creek Trolley Trail as part of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
The Board of Directors Initiated its popular series of First Saturday Walks and Bike Rides which continue to be held every month in one of the towns along the trail.
2009
Construction started on first Hammonasset section in Madison. In East Haven 7,700 feet of contiguous trail was completed.
2010
Stantec design study of a proposed route for the full length of the trail was completed with both on-road and off-road sections.
East Haven celebrated Connecticut Trails Day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the clearing of the trail in Farm River State Park and for the trailhead kiosk at Mansfield Road constructed by Eagle Scouts who also cleared the trail in Farm River State Park.
The trail was the non-profit beneficiary of Trailblazer’s fundraising event, Run the Gauntlet, held at Hammonasset Beach State Park.
2013
The One Hundredth Anniversary of the Connecticut State Parks System was celebrated at Hammonasset Beach State Park with a ribbon-cutting for the walkway of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
2014
East Haven and Branford town teams cosponsored with Shore Line Trolley Museum a trolley ride and walk to celebrate Connecticut Trails Day.
East Haven Troop 401 Boy Scout produced an interpretive trail brochure for the trail off Elliot Street.
Branford initiated walks of the Tabor trail with Walsh intermediate school 5th graders. These walks have continued each spring ever since.
Also, we could add to the shore, line trolley, walks that these have continued Also
Also, in 2018 we celebrated the completion of Branford’s Tabor section with a ceremony that included congresswoman Rosa tomorrow and first selectman Jamie Cosgrove. 2024 the town of Branford and shoreline Greenway trail received ra DEP recreational trail grant to preserve and improve the historic trolley bridge on the Stoney Creek trolley Trail
2015
The extension of trail from Hammonasset Beach State Park to Webster Point Road in Madison was completed.
East Haven Public Schools and East Haven Shoreline Greenway Trail formed a partnership to use the trail as a source of recreation and education tp enhance opportunities for students to learn about natural habitats and the environment and encourage them to contribute to preservation of the trail.
On Earth Day, the trail began a five-year fundraising partnership with the annual Rock to Rock Bike Ride in New Haven.
2016
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Recreational Trails Program awarded Shoreline Greenway Trail $366,000 to construct trail sections in East Haven and Guilford.
South Central Regional Council of Governments developed map brochures of trails in Madison and East Haven as part of their regional trail program
2017
Town of Guilford installed sharrows (shared-lane markings) on Whitfield Street from downtown to the marina as a spur to a future through linear trail.
Construction of the Tabor Trail section in Branford began.
East Haven’s Farm River State Park section was completed.
2018
The completion of Branford’s Tabor section was celebrated with a ceremony attended by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove.
2019
Shoreline Greenway was named Best Trail by Zip06
2022
Ribbon cutting ceremony welcomed the REI water station to the Hammonasset trailhead, serving both humans and pets.
The East Haven Rotary Club produced an Interpretive trail brochure for the trail off Elliot Street.
2023
The Madison Team gained permission from the State Parks System to plan a trail eastward from the current trail to connect with the town’s Salt Meadow Park and eventually to the town of Clinton. DEEP Recreational Trail Program granted $120,000 to fund planning and design. Town of Madison granted $45,000 in ARPA funds to meet the required match.
The Town of Madison agreed to have the trail extension traverse the town’s Salt Meadow Park.
The trail developed a partnership with the Shore Line Trolley Museum to hold a series of walks on various trail sections to highlight where the historic route of the trolley intersects with the current route of Shoreline Greenway Trail.
2024
The city of New Haven received $9 million in funding to construct a section of the Shoreline Greenway Trail to connect with the trail in East Haven. With the New Haven section, the Shoreline Greenway Trail will eventually link to the Farmington Canal Trail and the East Coast Greenway
The board of Shoreline Greenway Trail voted to invite supporters in New Haven to form a town team and participate as members of Shoreline Greenway Trail Board of Directors.
The town of Branford and Shoreline Greenway Trail received a DEEP Recreational Trail grant to preserve and improve the historic trolley bridge on the Stony Creek Trolley Trail
East Haven held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Shoreline Greenway Trail extension from Elliot Street to Cosey Beach Avenue and Coe Avenue. This ADA compliant path takes wheelchair users, walkers, runners and bicyclists safely to the shoreline.
Shoreline Greenway Trail was honored by the Exchange Club as Grand Marshal of the Madison Fourth of July parade.