Legacy Trail (Florida)

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Legacy Trail
Legacy Trail @ 681.jpg
Legacy Trail near State Road 681 overpass
Length12.5 miles (20.1 km)[1]
LocationSarasota County, Florida
EstablishedDecember 21, 2004[2]
Trailheads
UseShared-use for walking and cycling
Hiking details
SeasonYear round
MonthsYear round
SightsPayne Park (future), Oscar Scherer State Park, Venice Train Depot
HazardsWeather, at-grade pedestrian crossing at vehicular thoroughfares
SurfaceAsphalt
Right of waySeminole Gulf Railway[1]
Maintained bySarasota County
Websitescgov.net/LegacyTrail
Trail map
Legacy Trail highlighted in red

The Legacy Trail is a 14-mile (23 km) multi-use recreational rail trail in Sarasota County, Florida. It runs along a former portion of the Seminole Gulf Railway corridor (which was originally a Seaboard Air Line Railroad corridor). As of October 2021, the trail runs from the Historic Venice Train Depot to Bahia Vista Street just east of Sarasota. Construction is currently underway to extend the trail from the north end west to Payne Park in downtown Sarasota, which will be complete in early 2022.[3][4][5]

Route description[]

Overpass over U.S. 41 Bypass Route in Venice

The Legacy Trail begins in Venice at the Historic Venice Train Depot. At the depot, which now operates as a bus terminal for SCAT, the trail connects to the Venetian Waterway Park (which runs south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico).

From the Venice Depot, the trail runs north along the former rail corridor, crosses over the U.S. 41 Venice Bypass on an overpass, and enters Nokomis. North of Nokomis, it crosses Dona Bay and passes through Laurel. Another overpass carries the trail over Laurel Road.

North of Laurel, the trail passes underneath State Road 681 and runs through Oscar Scherer State Park, where it connects to the park's trails. It continues north through Osprey and passes Culverhouse Nature Park near Palmer Ranch.

The trail crosses Clark Road just north of Palmer Ranch continues north through Bee Ridge and Sarasota Springs before ending at Bahia Vista Street.

When the extension is completed, the trail will continue north from Bahia Vista Street to Phillipi Creek, then turn west toward downtown Sarasota. In Downtown Sarasota, the trail will turn north, connect to Payne Park, and terminate at Fruitville Road.[6][7]

Historic elements[]

The Legacy Trail contains references to its past as the area's railroad corridor. The trail's milepost numbers (numbered 888–902) correspond to the railroad's original mile numbering. The original trestle bridge crossing remains at South Creek, located just south of the Oscar Scherer State Park trailhead.[8] Information plaques are placed along the trail detailing the history of the railroad corridor. Roadway crossings also include decorative railroad crossing signals with crossbucks reading Sarasota Rail Trail.

History of the trail[]

The railroad line was originally built in 1911 as part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's extension to Venice.[1][9] The railroad line provided passenger service to Venice until 1971. The railroad line was integral to Venice's history and benefited the city's economy. The railroad was used by cadets and faculty of the Kentucky Military Institute for winter classes from 1933 to 1970, transported patients to Fred H. Albee's Florida Medical Center from 1932 to 1942, transported goods and servicemen to Venice Army Air Field during World War II, and used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which was headquartered in Venice from 1959 to 1992.[1][10] The circus was the last consistent service the rail line carried.

Portion of original rail trestle along the trail near Oscar Scherer State Park

Owing to decreased demand for service and the heavily deteriorated condition of the tracks and bridges, CSX Transportation (Seaboard's successor) and Seminole Gulf Railway, who had been leasing the line from CSX since 1987, came to an agreement with Sarasota County to abandon the railroad line south of Palmer Ranch. In return, Sarasota County, in conjunction with The Trust for Public Land, purchased and acquired the right of way in December 2004 for $11.75 million to use as a public recreational trail.[11] The original 10-mile (16 km) segment of Legacy Trail from the Venice to Culverhouse Nature Park near Palmer Ranch opened to the public on March 28, 2008.[12][13]

In 2011, a pedestrian overpass was built to carry the trail over the U.S. 41 Venice Bypass, a major six-lane highway. Prior to the overpass's construction, trail users had to use a crosswalk at an adjacent intersection. The $3.1 million overpass is 18 feet (5.5 m) tall, spans 900 feet (270 m), and was built with federal stimulus funding.[14] Another pedestrian overpass constructed by FDOT over Laurel Road started construction in November 2017 and was completed in late 2018.

In early 2017, Seminole Gulf Railway and CSX announced their intention to abandon an additional 9 miles (14 km) of the remaining southern segment of the railroad up to a point just south of Fruitville Road. In December 2017, Sarasota County, in conjunction with The Trust for Public Land, purchased and acquired 2.7 miles (4.3 km) of the former railroad corridor right of way for $7.9 million, which extended the county's ownership of the corridor up to Ashton Road, approximately one-half mile (0.80 km) north of Clark Road.[15]

In November 2018, Sarasota County voters approved a referendum to acquire and improve 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of the former railroad corridor and extending the trail.[16] By early 2020, Seminole Gulf removed tracks and signals from the corridor, and trail construction started shortly after.[6]

The first segments of the northern extension, which include the segment from the original trail at Culverhouse Nature Park to Sawyer Loop Road and the segment from Ashton Road to Bahia Vista Street opened on July 8, 2021.[17] The segment from Sawyer Loop Road to Ashton Road opened on October 7, 2021.[3]

Future[]

The Legacy Trail is planned to be part of the Southwest Coast Regional Connector, an initiative by the Florida Department of Transportation to built a continuous multi-use trail from Tampa to Naples.[18]

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to build overpasses along the northern extension of the trail at Clark Road and Bee Ridge Road. They will be built after the northern extension opens and will be complete by 2024.[6] The overpass over Clark Road will also include realigning its intersection with McIntosh Road.[19]

North Port Connector[]

An connector trail to North Port is also being planned. The North Port Connector is planned to connect to the Legacy Trail in Nokomis and run east along Florence Street, Edmondson Street, and Border Road. It would then turn south along South Moon Drive, cross Interstate 75, and turn east along Forbes Trail. The trail would then continue east along Interstate 75 and then turn south into North Port near Warm Mineral Springs. An additional unpaved path would run from the North Port Connector south to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve. The North Port connector would also connect to an unpaved trail through T. Mabry Carlton Reserve.[6][20][21]

Gallery[]

  • Southern terminus near Historic Venice Train Depot

  • Legacy Trail crossing Laurel Road
    (before construction of pedestrian overpass)

  • Legacy Trail near Nokomis

  • Covered benches called "stations" can be found throughout the trail every few miles

  • Bridge over Dona Bay

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Historical Overview of The Legacy Trail". Sarasota County Government. March 22, 2018. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  2. ^ Brown, Carolyn; Kurant, Lin (August 29, 2017). Acquisition of Land for The Legacy Trail Extension (PDF) (Report). Sarasota County Government. General Services. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Kimel, Earle (October 7, 2021). "Legacy Trail now open from Bahia Vista Street to Shamrock Park". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sarasota County Trails Plan". Sarasota County Government. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  5. ^ "Proposed Extension to the Legacy Trail in Sarasota Florida". Friends of the Legacy Trail. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d "Trailhead Parking and Other Information". Friends of the Legacy Trail. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Legacy Trail Map". Friends of the Legacy Trail. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Legacy Trail Bicycle Trail in Sarasota from Sarasota to Osprey and Venice, Florida". Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  9. ^ Turner, Gregg M. (December 1, 1999). Railroads of Southwest Florida. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing.
  10. ^ "The Circus in Venice, Florida". Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on October 29, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "Sarasota County Legacy Trail Conversion Claims". Maglio Christopher & Toale. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Legacy Trail Referendum". Sarasota County Government. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  13. ^ "Pages - Legacy Trail". Sarasota County Government. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Becnel, Thomas (November 4, 2011). "Cyclists cheer Venice's Legacy Trail Overpass". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  15. ^ "Land acquired for Legacy Trail extension". Sarasota County Government. December 20, 2017. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  16. ^ "Legacy Trail Update". Sarasota County Government. June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  17. ^ Kimel, Earle (July 8, 2021). "Northern portion of Legacy Trail now open for use, parking limited to neighboring parks". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "Southwest Coast Connector Trail" (PDF). Florida SUNTrails. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  19. ^ "TRAIL EXTENSION NEWS – JUNE 2019". Friends of the Legacy Trail. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  20. ^ "Expanding the Legacy". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  21. ^ "North Port Connectors". Friends of the Legacy Trail. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2018.

External links[]

Route map:

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