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RSW Living Magazine

Five-mile Segment of the Pinellas Trail Coast-to-Coast Connector Open

Sep 18, 2017 01:24PM ● By Kevin

The Pinellas Trail segment of the Florida Coast to Coast Trail officially opened in July 2017. Photo courtesy of the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation.

More than 100 local leaders, elected officials, community partners and bicycle enthusiasts attended the ribbon cutting of the new Pinellas Trail Coast-to-Coast Trail Connector on the morning of July 20 in Tarpon Springs.

The five-mile segment extends the county’s Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail by connecting it to future trails in Pasco County as part of Florida’s Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail, according to a press release issued by Pinellas County. The connector trail will consist of a 250 mile network of trails starting in Pinellas County, allowing bicyclists to cross the state to the Atlantic Ocean in Brevard County.

 “This is a great day for our wonderful trail which is used by citizens from all over the world including our residents and tourists,” said Janet C. Long, Pinellas County Commission Chair, according to the release. “Opening this new segment shows that we’re proactively doing things every day.”

The Pasco County segment of this gap will go to construction in the summer of 2018. Once that is complete this section of the C2C will be more than 100 miles of continuous trail, according to Brian Smith of Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation.

"Other trail segments are also moving forward rapidly with not only construction, but also important planning alignment studies," Smith wrote.

The Pinellas Trail Coast-to-Coast Connector segment was funded by the state legislature and approved by Governor Rick Scott. Pinellas County partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation, Forward Pinellas, the Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve, the Office of Greenways and Trails, the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation and the Florida Greenways and Trails Council to complete the project.

The Pinellas Trail stretches 54 miles from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg in Pinellas County. Penny for Pinellas supported the construction.

"Connecting it with the Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail is part of the county’s strategic goal to provide safe and effective transportation systems to support regional connectivity," the press release says.

A guide to the Pinellas Trail is available online at pinellascounty.org/trailgd.

About the Pinellas Trail

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a linear park and recreation trail currently extending from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs and is a multi-use trail everyone can enjoy. The Trail, created along an abandoned railroad corridor, provides a unique, protected greenspace for walking, jogging, skating and biking. Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources is responsible for the Trails maintenance and operating costs.

Information courtesy of Pinellas County.

About the Coast to Coast Trail

Upon completion, the Coast-to-Coast Trail will be a continuous paved multi-use trail across the State of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.  It will span approximately 250 miles when completed.  The Trail which is part of the Sun Trail network has many segments under construction.  Refer to our Status page for completion information.   The C2C will ultimately link communities between St. Petersburg and Titusville.

Information courtesy of C2Ctrail.com.