The first 2-km stretch of the ~177-km Coastal link trail was completed in St. Stephen, New Brunswick earlier this month. Upgrades to the St Stephen trail, which runs parallel to its waterfront, started in July 2020; however, Coastal Link Trail Inc. began working with the Town of St Stephen with support from the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission in 2019. The Coastal Link Trail Inc (CLTI) received $1M from the Department of Tourism, Heritage & Culture in the beginning of 2019 to begin project work, and received further funding from Trans Canada Trail to support the trail’s connection to the national trail network of the Great Trail of Canada.

To recognize the completion of the first segment of the trail, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 11:00am on October 24th, 2020 near the W.F. Ganong Monument along the St. Stephen waterfront. Participants included Hon. Tammy Scott-Wallace, Minister of Tourism, Heritage & Culture, Deputy Minister THC Yennah Hurley , MLA for Saint Croix Kathy Bockus, Mayor Allan MacEachern, chair and board members of CTLI, board members from Trans Canada Trail, and members of the public and media.

As one of 12 signature trails in the province, the Coastal Link, once completed will connect the East Coast Greenway with the Great Trail, creating the longest linear trail in the world. The trail stretches for approximately 177 km, starting in St. Stephen, connecting to Saint Andrews, St. George and ending in Saint John. The project will see existing infrastructure upgraded to create a safe, accessible active transportation corridor, which at its highest standard will be ideal for cycling. Upgrades will occur in segments, with implementing trail infrastructure in municipalities first and then connecting rural segments to destination points throughout the trail’s main spine.

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