Dozen of communities are coming together to create a continuous trail along the West Coast of Florida, which will connect to the new Coast-to-Coast Trail, and Hillsborough has an important role. As described by Hillsborough MPO Executive Planner Michele Ogilvie at the Gulf Coast Regional Trail Summit in Venice organized by the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA),
The feasibility study of a pedestrian bridge over Dale Mabry Highway is critically important to connect Tampa’s Downtown Riverwalk and Green Spine to the beautiful Courtney Campbell Causeway trail at Cypress Point Park.
Michele also spoke of assisting Hillsborough County in applying for grants to fund the South Coast Greenway, and announced the great news that FDOT included funding for a segment of this trail in their work program (read more in the article below).
All in all, the Summit was a huge success with close to 200 attendees, including Representative Joe Gruters, Manatee County Commissioner Betsy Benac, Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp, Citrus County Commissioner Ronald Kitchen, Jr., other local elected officials, and representatives from health organizations, non-profits, citizen advocacy groups, private companies, transportation planners, government agencies, and many others. Accomplishments like this show how dynamic, strong, and influential our region is when working together towards a common goal. Thanks goes to TBARTA, FDOT, and the Office of Greenways and Trails for the opportunity to be part of this new statewide collaboration! Check out all of the excellent presentations from the Gulf Coast Regional Trail Summit.
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