South Shore Trail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids South Shore Trail |
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The South Shore Trail between Crownsville and Millersville
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| Length | 2.96 miles (4.76 km) |
| Location | Anne Arundel County |
| Designation | East Coast Greenway, American Discovery Trail, September 11th National Memorial Trail |
| Trailheads | Jennifer Road, Bestgate Road, Waterbury Road and Hansel Drive |
| Use | Hiking, Biking, Running, Rollerblading |
| Cycling details | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Website | South Shore Trail |
The South Shore Trail is a planned path for walking, biking, and running in Maryland, United States. It will be about 11.2-mile (18.0 km) long when finished. The trail will connect Annapolis to Odenton.
So far, about 2.96-mile (4.76 km) of the trail is built. The trail mostly follows an old railroad track. This railroad was once called the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad. The South Shore Trail will connect to other trails like the Colonial Annapolis Maritime Trail and the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail. When it's all done, it will be part of three big national trails: the American Discovery Trail, the East Coast Greenway, and the September 11th National Memorial Trail. The trail gets its name because the old railroad ran along the south side of the Severn River.
Contents
The Trail's Journey: How It Was Planned and Built
The idea for the South Shore Trail started a long time ago. It follows the path of an old railroad that began operating in 1840. This railroad faced problems and changed its name a few times. In 1902, it became part of a bigger electric train system. By 1921, this line was known as the South Shore Division. The entire train system stopped running in 1935. The tracks between Odenton and Annapolis were removed.
Early Plans and Challenges
In the late 1980s, another old railroad line in Maryland was turned into a popular trail. This success made leaders in Anne Arundel County want to do the same for the South Shore line. In 1990, they even had a groundbreaking ceremony for a small part of the trail. But the actual work did not start right away.
For almost 30 years, building the trail was very slow. There were many reasons for the delays.
- Land Issues: Some people owned parts of the old railroad land. It was hard for the county to buy these pieces of land for the trail.
- Money Problems: Sometimes, money set aside for the trail was used for other projects. For example, in 1992, funds were moved to fix a dam. In 2008, money went to high school sports fields.
- Local Concerns: Some people living nearby worried about the trail. They were concerned about costs and safety, especially if the trail connected to a local elementary school.
- Environmental Rules: Parts of the old railroad path had become wetlands. The county needed special permission to build through these areas. This process took a lot of time.
The county kept trying to get all the land it needed. In 2000, they even bought a house just to get a piece of property for the trail's future office.
Important Connections and First Steps
Even with all the delays, the South Shore Trail was seen as a very important link. In 1991, it was chosen to be a future part of the American Discovery Trail. This is a huge trail that crosses the entire United States. By 1998, it was also planned to be part of the East Coast Greenway. This trail runs along the eastern coast of the country.
Work on small parts of the South Shore Trail finally began in 2002. These sections were built as part of other bigger projects.
- In 2002, a 750-foot section was built near a shopping mall and medical center.
- In 2003, the Odenton Bike Path was finished. This path will connect the South Shore Trail to the WB&A Trail.
- In 2006, a section of the Annapolis Maritime Trail was built. It starts near the South Shore Trail.
- Later in 2006, another 2,500 feet of the trail was built near Bestgate Road.
Breaking Through the Delays
The main part of the trail along the old railroad route still faced many delays. In 2010, designers changed the trail's path in one area. They wanted to avoid expensive work in wetlands and speed up the process. This change caused another delay.
Finally, in 2017, things started to move faster. Construction officially began on the first major section of the trail. This was the same section that had a groundbreaking ceremony way back in 1990!
In 2018, the County Executive announced a big plan to finish the trail all the way to Odenton. This plan included money to buy more land, design the trail, and build the paved path. The project was divided into five parts, or "phases." Phase I was completed in 2019.
What the Trail Looks Like Now
The South Shore Trail currently has two separate parts.
- One part is in Parole, Maryland, between Bestgate Road and Jennifer Road.
- The other part is between Hansel Drive in Crownsville, Maryland, and Waterbury Road in Millersville, Maryland.
Together, these two sections are about 2.96 miles long. The county plans to connect these sections and extend the trail to the Odenton Bike Path.
On the east side, the trail starts where the Annapolis Maritime Trail ends. It follows Medical Parkway and then turns to connect to Bestgate Road. This section is about 3,000 feet long.
There is a gap of about 6 miles between this section and the start of the other part of the trail at Waterbury Road. That section runs for more than 1.5 miles along the old railroad path.
Another gap of about 2.3 miles separates this section from the Odenton Bike Path. The Odenton Bike Path then connects to the WB&A Trail.
