Planned bike trail would connect Legacy Trail to Nathan Benderson Park, Lakewood Ranch
The board of the Sarasota-Manatee area’s transportation planning agency has approved a future bike trail that will connect Bobby Jones Golf Club to Nathan Benderson Park and link the park to the southern part of Lakewood Ranch.
The board also approved the alignment of a bike trail in Bradenton that will run from 75th Street West to downtown.
The two trails will be 12 feet wide and will allow for bicycle and pedestrian travel. The Sarasota County one will connect to the Legacy Trail, meaning people will be able to take a multi-modal trail from downtown Sarasota to Lakewood Ranch, once construction is completed.
The board of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization unanimously approved the alignments of the two trails at its Monday meeting. The approval means that local governments can now apply for funding for the projects through the state’s SUN Trail program. (The SUN Trail network is a statewide network of bike/pedestrian trails.) They can also now apply for federal funding.
Previous coverage: 3 things to know about the new North Port Connector to the Legacy Trail
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The alignment for the Sarasota County trail starts near the intersection of the Legacy Trail and South Beneva Road, passes through residential neighborhoods, and then traverses Bobby Jones Golf Club and 17th Street Park. The city of Sarasota is renovating the Bobby Jones golf complex and is planning to turn some of the property into a nature park. Sarasota County, meanwhile, is planning to make major updates to the athletic facilities at 17th Street Park.
The alignment then stretches east on 17th Street and north on Honore Avenue before entering Nathan Benderson Park. The path passes through the southern part of the park before crossing Interstate 75 on an overpass that Sarasota County is planning to construct. It then passes through the southern end of Lakewood Ranch before ending at Lorraine Road.
The Bradenton trail alignment starts at 75th Street West, crosses through residential neighborhoods, and enters downtown before ending at Barcarrota Avenue, near Twin Dolphin Marina.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization considered several different alignments for each trail and narrowed down the options by analyzing data and getting feedback from members of the public, according to Wenonah Venter, senior planner for the MPO.
Construction of these trails is still a long way down the road. Venter said local governments will first have to conduct a Project Development and Environment Study, which is an analysis of the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of the project, and design the trails.
To view the alignments of the two trails on Google My Maps, visit www.publicinput.com/SUNTrailStudies.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: North Sarasota County will get a new bike trail, if plans come true
