FDOT outlines SunTrail projects in Bradford County, including two pedestrian bridges and June 11 bid opening

Barney Bennett, a consultant project manager with the Florida Department of Transportation, told the Bradford County Board of County Commissioners that FDOT will put three of four SunTrail corridor projects out to bid on June 11 and that design plans for those sections are complete.

The county-commission meeting presentation described four linked trail segments: a 2.3-mile segment connecting Union County Road 2307 to Bradford County Road 2305 (including replacement of a railroad trestle with a roughly 600-foot pedestrian bridge); a 4.1-mile segment into Sampson City; a 3.4-mile segment (unfunded) through Sampson City that requires CSX crossing easements and a 20-foot pedestrian bridge over the Sampson River; and a 2.9-mile Hampton segment that includes a 225-foot pedestrian bridge over U.S. 301.

Why this matters: the SunTrail corridor would close gaps in a trail that begins in Lake Butler and is intended to link to Hampton and to longer regional connections toward Keystone Heights and St. Augustine. Commissioners and residents asked how construction will affect traffic, what amenities would be provided, and what legal or permitting obstacles remain.

FDOT said the two projects that include the New River pedestrian bridge and the Sampson City section will be let together under a single construction contract with a 630‑day contract duration and an estimated completion date of June 2027. The Hampton-to-Canterbury segment is bid with a 400‑day construction duration and an estimated completion in November 2026, assuming the bid and construction schedule proceed as planned. Bennett said “SunTrail is the program that's funding these trail projects,” and that the three projects going to bid are funded by available state SunTrail allocations.

FDOT warned of two constraints affecting the unfunded Sampson City segment: (1) CSX requires permanent easements and will only grant a maximum five‑foot width to cross its tracks, forcing a temporary narrowing of the trail to a sidewalk across the ROW; and (2) the Sampson River span crosses state sovereign submerged lands and requires Florida Department of Environmental Protection permitting. Bennett also said CSX crossings could affect railroad signal systems, and if work triggers signal rebuilds CSX may charge the project — an unknown cost that is holding up construction funding for that segment.

On the Hampton-to-U.S. 301 bridge, FDOT presented renderings and engineering constraints: the bridge deck will be roughly 24 feet above the roadway, the structure will be about 225 feet long, and FDOT requires 17 feet 6 inches of clearance under the bridge for truck traffic. Bennett noted conflicts with Florida Power & Light and Comcast infrastructure; FPL is relocating lines underground in the corridor and Comcast must move its attachments.

Commissioners asked about traffic impacts during bridge beam setting. Bennett said daytime lane restrictions are not permitted on U.S. 301 and that beam placements will require short nighttime lane closures and brief diversions; pile driving will be limited to daytime hours. When asked about trail amenities, Bennett said SunTrail program legislation does not allow FDOT to fund benches, restrooms or shade structures within the scope of these projects; he identified Bobby Shepherd Park in Hampton and existing city-funded trailheads in Keystone Heights as nearby facilities that provide restrooms or parking.

Bennett and FDOT staff said they have extra paper copies of the presentation for commissioners and county staff and offered to answer follow-up questions. He encouraged local governments or the county to pursue Transportation Alternatives funding for additional tie-ins, such as linking the corridor to Stark’s downtown trail.

The presentation left several open items for local follow-up: the unresolved CSX easement and potential signal-rebuild cost for the Sampson City crossing; DEP permitting for the Sampson River bridge; final construction contract award following the June 11 bid opening; and coordination with utilities for the U.S. 301 bridge.