By tapalmer99 in July, 2011
It is not necessary to "cross 3 highway ramps" to proceed south from Mathews Park to the Maritime Center. Simply head east along the north side of I-95 to reach an underpass (you will, however, be at a waste transfer station entrance). Cross the tracks, and the trail goes due south on the east side of the tracks - straight to the Maritime Center.
By netpilot in September, 2010
I walked the center portion of this trail September 20, 2010.
Although the description lists this as a 2 mile path, the longest distance you can walk without leaving the trail and passing through a number of city streets is less than half a mile. The part of the trail from Union Park south to Matthews Park runs along US Route 7 and is paved, well marked and an interesting walk. The southern terminus at Matthews Park brings you to the Civil War era Matthews mansion that was featured in the two "Stepford Wives" movies. The mansion is open to the public for tours.
The Maritime Center portion of the trail runs along the Norwalk River near Long Island Sound. Getting there from Matthews Park is quite difficult. The connecting road goes under Interstate 95 and you need to negotiate across three highway entrances and exits. South of that is an urban renewal project with no sidewalks. You would need to walk in the heavily traveled street to reach the Maritime Center segment of the trail.
From Union Park north to the New Canaan Avenue-Broad Street portion of the trail is about a mile. The road is narrow, busy and there are no sidewalks. This is not a safe place to walk.
The concept of a walking trail from Long Island Sound north for five miles along the Norwalk River is very interesting. This is a densely populated area and the trail would be within 5 minutes walking distance for thousands of people. According to Connecticut DEP Bulletin 33 "Pathways through Connecticut," this trail was under design and construction 10 years ago. Let's hope they don't need another 10 years to complete the project.