People who enjoy exploring the outdoors on bike or foot will have a few more opportunities for comfortable, more co
nvenient routes with trail expansions and connectivity coming to Central Florida and across the state.
Over in Edgewater, The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) joined the City of Edgewater, Volusia County, and local officials in celebrating the groundbreaking of the first project to receive funding under the Shared Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail program.
Construction of this first segment, between Dale Avenue and 10th Street, will help close a critical gap by connecting the existing East Central Regional Rail Trail and Daytona State College. The project is located along the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop, which is a developing 260-mile regional trail system that will link together several communities including Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Titusville, DeLand and Palatka.
On Central Florida’s west coast, the 250-mile Florida Coast-to-Coast Connector trail project is opening its latest addition on the Pinellas Trail on July 20. The newest 5-mile extension enables cyclists to travel from East Lake and Keystone roads and continues north through the Brooker Creek Preserve to the Pasco County line. Once complete, the Coast-to-Coast trail will cross the state from St. Petersburg to the A. Max Brewer Causeway in Titusville.
If you live in Pine Hills and enjoy biking and walking, Orange County’s new multi-use Pine Hills Trail is something to look forward to. It will extend from Alhambra Drive to the Seminole-Wekiva Trail. Phase one of the new 8.2-mile paved path for people biking and walking will include two much needed crosswalks on the busy Pine Hills Road and Silver Star Road. When complete it will ultimately connect from the Shingle Creek Trail to the Seminole-Wekiva Trail.
And get ready to literally rise above the chaotic traffic with safer routes. Construction has begun on two pedestrian bridges that will make it safer for walkers and bicyclists to cross chaotic traffic. The City of Orlando’s Colonial Pedestrian Overpass is beginning to take shape and will eventually connect downtown’s Gertrude’s Trail with the Orlando Urban Trail. Work is also under way on a 625-foot metal pedestrian bridge that will tower over Interstate 4 just south of the Maitland Boulevard interchange.
With these trail projects underway in Central Florida, people on bike and foot will have more options for leading active lifestyles.
