Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legacy Trail Opening topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sarasota County celebrates opening of phase 1 of Legacy Trail bifurcated extension
Summary
Sarasota County officials and partners marked completion of phase 1 of a 1.5-mile bifurcated section of the Legacy Trail this morning, funded by an FDEP recreational trails grant with matching local contributions to create a separate 6-foot pedestrian path alongside the main trail.
Sean Yeager, interim director of Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, opened a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning to mark completion of phase 1 of the Legacy Trail Extension bifurcated trail.
Yeager said the new segment is a 1.5-mile bifurcated portion that includes a 6-foot-wide pedestrian sidewalk running parallel to the Legacy Trail Extension to provide a dedicated pathway for pedestrians separate from the main trail used by cyclists. "The trail supports more than 600,000 users each year," Yeager said, and he credited a Florida Department of Environmental Protection recreational trails grant along with matching funds from Friends of the Legacy Trail and the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club for funding the work.
The project team named Kimberly Horn as the design consultant and Spectrum Underground as the contractor. Yeager thanked county administrators, the parks capital projects and grants teams, and the volunteers and partner organizations who advocated for and helped deliver the project.
Sarasota County Commission Chair Ron Cutzinger, who was introduced during the ceremony, called the trail "the gift that keeps on getting," praising its accessibility and community reach and thanking volunteer groups and parks staff for their long-term support. Vice Chair Mark Smith emphasized the safety benefit of the bifurcated design, saying the separation helps older or more vulnerable walkers who may be intimidated by faster users and electric bikes and thanking public-safety partners including the Sarasota Fire Department, EMS and the sheriff's office.
The ceremony concluded with a ceremonial ribbon cutting; Yeager reminded attendees to look both ways before crossing the new path.
The ribbon-cutting highlighted the project's role in a multi-year effort to extend and connect the Legacy Trail, a system that opened in 2008 and was expanded after a 2018 voter referendum to acquire additional rail corridors and add connectors to Northport. Yeager said the bifurcated portion is intended to improve safety and accessibility for trail users of all ages and abilities.
Officials did not announce additional phases' completion dates during the event.
