The New Hampshire Department of Transportation aims to transform a former rail corridor along U.S. Route 1 into a thriving multimodal trail, connecting five Southeastern New Hampshire seashore communities. The agency encountered several challenges during the project, including aging and fragmented transportation corridors, deteriorating infrastructure—such as closed drainage systems, washouts, and invasive plant overgrowth—and a lack of safe, accessible routes for alternative transportation.
The first phase of the Seacoast Greenway project enhances trail connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians from Hampton to Portsmouth; providing a boost to local businesses; promoting healthy, eco-friendly travel; and preserving historic transportation elements of the corridor. The New Hampshire DOT stated that this project benefited from federal funding via the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE grant program, which is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA. This funding supported construction of the Hampton-Portsmouth Trail, part of the Seacoast Greenway project, enhancing multimodal infrastructure, improving community access, and promoting regional sustainability.
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