Collier County commissioners are pledging their support for the proposed Bonita Estero Rail to Trail.
Tuesday, commissioners authorized $5,000 to the Trust for Public Land for preparation of a grant application. It also pledged up to $899,000 toward the $82 million purchase price of land for a 14.9-mile Bonita-Estero rail corridor to create the trail known as BERT.
Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that works to connect people to outdoor spaces, brokered the deal with Seminole Gulf Railway to buy the land for a public pedestrian and biking trail via a linear park. It took four years of negotiations to reach an agreement in early 2024.
Lee County, its municipalities, and Collier County have until March 2026 to come up with the $82 million.
Trail seen as a transportation means
“The project is not just a recreational trail. This is not about people in spandex shorts riding their bikes, going 25 miles an hour down the stretch,” said Doug Hattaway, Southeast Conservation Director for Trust for Public Land. “This is a public investment for the betterment of the community, and the fact that this is an urban trail provides a special amplification to the benefits that trails generally have for the communities they’re located in, and this slide captures them. It is a destination trail once you reach a certain length, and the fact that this corridor actually connects to other trails already in place, and those that are in plans will make this destination trail become reality.”
BERT would run from just south of the Lee-Collier County border to Alico Road through downtown Bonita Springs and Estero ending just north of San Carlos Park at Alico Road. About 0.75 miles +/- of the railroad corridor is immediately adjacent to Conservation Collier lands (Railhead Scrub Preserve), with nearly 0.4 of a mile bifurcating the preserve. additionally, a short section will facilitate the necessaryroadway crossing for the extension of Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
These railroad tracks near Riverside Park in Downtown Bonita Springs have not been used by trains in more than 15 years. With the land sale now secured, plans can start to be made to turn this into a multi-use trail through the downtown area north to Alico Road.
The plan is to connect BERT to Lee County’s John Yarborough Trail to the north and the planned Paradise Coast Trail to the south in Collier County. Florida’s Sun Trail and Paradise Coast Trail corridor is a $25 million trail project led by Florida Department of Transportation, Collier County Transportation Department and Naples Pathways Coalition that would connect Naples, Ave Maria, Immokalee and other areas within and beyond Collier County.
About 70,000 people live within a 10-minute bike ride to BERT; 14,000 people live within a 10-minute walk; and there are 12 schools within a mile, Hattaway said.
Once purchased, the land would be “railbanked” for future rail if needed but used for trail until or if such a time comes, said Trinity Scott, department head of Collier County Transportation Management Services. Railbanking is a volunteer agreement, however, should rail be returned to the area, the railway would be required to reimburse the county the initial purchase price.
What kind of grant is being sought?
Trust for Public Land is seeking an up to $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant, a highly competitive federal grant, Scott said. The grant would be used for Phase 1 of the trail.
Collier County will get the $5,000 for the grant application from its transportation Cap Fund.
“If the grant is awarded, a subsequent Board action will be necessary for approval and a budget amendment will be required for the County’s determined share of the required local grant match up to $899,000. Potential sources of grant match include Conservation Collier funds, road impact fees, gas tax, and general fund,” according to the summary given to commissioners.
Other communities commit
Seminole Gulf Railway has agreed to sell its 14.9-mile Bonita-Estero Rail Corridor for a public trail in Lee County.
Estero Village Council in December committed up to $10,000 to get outside help to apply for federal grants.
Bonita Springs City Council approved a resolution of its support for BERT without committing any money. The item was on the council’s consent agenda. Consent agenda items usually aren’t discussed unless pulled off by a council member. Fort Myers Beach council approved a similar resolution in November.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners in June approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to use state funding to design a 12-foot wide, mixed-use trail from the Big Carlos Pass Bridge to the Big Hickory Bridge, linking Fort Myers Beach with Bonita Beach, different than BERT.
These railroad tracks near Riverside Park in Downtown Bonita Springs have not been used by trains in more than 15 years. With the land sale now secured, plans can start to be made to turn this into a multi-use trail through the downtown area and all the way north to Alico Road.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: BERT land purchase gets commitment from Collier County commissioners