Pinellas Trail North Loop Segment Construction Project

Overview

The Pinellas Trail Loop is a 75-mile regional trail network that provides Pinellas County residents and visitors with an additional safe, reliable and affordable transportation option for recreation and access to many county amenities. When complete, the Loop will be a continuous multi-use pathway stretching from Tarpon Springs to
St. Petersburg, with connections to Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, Largo, Seminole, South Pasadena and Gulfport. The Loop will also provide regional trail connections to the Tampa and Hillsborough County Trail network across the Courtney Campbell Causeway and to the Pasco County Tri-County Trail. The Loop will eventually anchor the western end of the Florida Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail, a 250-mile multi-use trail that will cross the width of Florida.

Background

The Pinellas Trail first opened in 1990 on an abandoned railroad line. Since then, the 15-foot-wide trail has been extended across the county to create a unique urban pedestrian and bicycle connector to our communities. The Pinellas Trail has been hailed as a priceless haven in a busy, urbanized environment and has won numerous awards including:

Inducted into the National Rails to Trails Hall of Fame
Two-time winner of the Best Trail of Florida award from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Greenways and Trails

Project Description

There are two remaining gaps in the Loop, referred to as the North Gap and the South Gap (see Figure 1 above, right). The North Segment project extends 6.8 miles from John Chesnut Sr. Park to the Duke Energy Trailhead at Enterprise Road in Clearwater. Along the way, this segment will offer users access to many residential neighborhoods, commercial centers and recreational facilities, including John Chesnut Sr. Park, Westfield Countryside Mall and the Countryside Community Park.

The North Segment project will generally consist of a paved 12-foot-wide surface with 2-foot-wide unpaved shoulders on both sides. However, in a few areas, the trail width will transition to an 8-foot paved surface due to property restrictions. The trail will be designed and constructed to meet all federal and state Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and safety standards.

Project Funding

The estimated cost to complete the North Segment is $8 million. The county is receiving $5.7 million from the Florida Department of Transportation as part of the Florida Shared-Use Non-Motorized Trail Network Agreement approved by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on March 7, 2017. The county will dedicate the additional
$2.3 million, which is budgeted in the Capital Improvement Program. The funding source for the county’s portion will be provided by the Penny for Pinellas: Pinellas Trail Projects, Duke Energy Trail Extension program allocation.

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