By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

A new way to travel between Saco and Old Orchard Beach is on track to open by fall 2010.

The Eastern Trail Alliance last week unveiled preliminary design plans for a 4.4-mile pedestrian and bike trail through Saco. The trail will run behind Thornton Academy to the area of Hannaford and I-195, cross over city streets, and then move back into the woods along Route 1 before connecting to Old Orchard Beach.

Organizers began securing funding for the project in 2007, when Saco voters approved a $500,000 Eastern Trail construction bond. The Maine Department of Transportation earlier this year allocated $1.4 million in federal transportation enhancement funds for the project.

Saco City Planner Bob Hamblen, who also is president of the Eastern Trail Management District, said the trail’s final design will be completed this winter and construction bids will begin in the spring. He said he expects construction to take place next summer and fall.

“We feel pretty strongly in Saco it’s our turn,” Hamblen said, noting surrounding towns have completed trail projects.

Project Design Engineer Steve Bushey of DeLuca Hoffman said the trail, which will run from Thornton Academy in Saco to Milliken Mills Road in Old Orchard Beach, will be between 10 and 12 feet wide. The trail will largely utilize an old railroad corridor. He said the woods the trail will cross are largely unused, though utility companies use sections of the land.

Bushey said preliminary design plans have the trail starting at Clark Street on the edge of a Thornton Academy parking lot. The trail will “skirt the edge of the ball fields” before entering a wooded area along the school’s property boundary. He said discussions continue with school official about the exact placement and appearance of the trail.

Bushey said the Thornton Academy section of the trail will likely look similar to the Eastern Trail’s Greenbelt in South Portland, where pavement is at grade level with grass. Plans also call for boulders or cedar rail fencing to further define the edge of the trail as it crosses school property.

As the trail continues through a large tract of wooded land to the I-195 corridor, Bushey said planners must carefully consider high-pressure gas lines that run through the area. He said Unitil has worked closely with trail planners to identify where the trail can be placed along property owned by the natural gas utility company.

In some areas, the trail will be on higher ground and look down on the railroad bed. Bushey said this will allow trail placement that avoids both the natural gas line and wetlands that could be damaged by trail construction.

Bushey said the most difficult part of planning the project came in the area of Hannaford, I-195 and Route 1. Building a bridge across 260 feet of highway or tunneling under the road is too expensive and technically challenging, he said.

Bushey said building a bridge across I-195 would cost $1.9 million for 260 feet. A tunnel would be even more expensive and difficult because of soil conditions, he said.

Instead, the trail will run a short distance along I-195 before meeting up with existing sidewalks along Route 1. There, pedestrians will travel on existing sidewalks and across highway ramps before shifting back into the woods in the area of Moody Street and Sweetser.

From there, Bushey said the trail “meanders” through a wooded area with lots of character. There are many wet areas near Moody Street and “nice trees” throughout that section, he said. The trail will also pass Goosefare Brook, where some trees will be cleared to improve visibility.

“That’s a very nice scenic overlook,” Bushey said.

Bushey said a bridge will be built to carry trail users across Route 1 in the area of Silver Springs Campground. The bridge span will be 125 feet, about 75 feet more than needed to cross the road in its current condition.

“Ultimately we’re designing this to accommodate future improvements of Route 1,” he said.

He said the bridge would “be plenty wide enough” if transportation officials in the future add turning lanes or additional travel lanes, which would widen the road from 50 feet to 82 feet.

After crossing Route 1, Bushey said the trail again twists through a short section of woods before meeting back up with the railway bed. He said this section would be “slow riding” for bicyclists. The trail is then “straight as an arrow” for nearly two miles before reaching Cascade Road.

That section of trail is “a nice scenic area” that crosses some ravines and thick wooded areas, according to Bushey. He said trail users are likely to see wildlife in the area, including birds at a small pond. An area will be built to accommodate trail users who want to pull over to look for wildlife, he said.

The trail will cross Cascade Road, but Bushey said visibility is good in that area and should be safe for users. In the area of Mill Brook and Milliken Mills Road in Old Orchard Beach, the trail runs near a residential neighborhood. Bushey said landscaping will provide privacy for neighbors, but changes will be minimal. A culvert will be added in the Mill Brook area during trail construction.

Bushey said the project impacts less than one acre of wetlands.

“That’s very modest considering we have more than four miles of trails,” he said.

Though plans are on track, Hamblen and Bushey anticipate some issues with ATV users on the trail, especially in the area of Milliken Mills Road. They said the trail is intended for non-motorized use and signs will be posted to discourage improper use.

Hamblen said representative of Eastern Trail will work with municipal officials, police departments and abutters to post and monitor the trail. Additionally, he expects to meet with ATV clubs who support stopping ATV “abuse.”

“It’s going to be a real issue,” he said. “We’ll be dong what we can.”

Hamblen said boulders, logs and collapsible bollards will be used to discourage ATV riders from using or crossing the trail.

Old Orchard Beach Assistant Planner Jessica Wagner said Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough police successfully monitored sections of the Eastern Trail for ATV users. Hamblen said riders on motorized vehicles can be ticketed for trespassing.

“It’s a battle,” Wanger said, adding increased police presence discourages trail abuse.

For more information on the Eastern Trail Alliance, go to www.easterntrail.org.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.