The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will hold a public meeting at the Estero Recreation Center starting with an open house at 6 p.m. and formal presentation at 6:30 p.m., Thursday. This meeting is being held to seek public input on a Rail-Trail Feasibility Study that is underway.
The public is invited to provide input on three alternatives for a north/south public multi-use trail through south Lee County and into north Collier County. The trail alternatives are being studied as part of the regional efforts to plan and develop the Gulf Coast Trail from Pinellas County down to Collier County. The study team will use public input to help select a Preferred Alternative(s) to advance to the next project phase. You may see the proposed trail alternatives here.
In March 2021, the Lee County MPO in partnership with the City of Bonita Springs and the Village of Estero, commissioned a consultant team to begin the Study to analyze the long-term feasibility of a public multi-use trail within the Seminole Gulf Railway (SGLR) corridor south of Alico Road or alternatively in the adjacent surrounding areas. The Study is funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Sun Trail Program with local matches from the City of Bonita Springs and the Village of Estero.
The study area boundaries include Bonita Beach Road (south), Alico Road (north), US 41 (west) and I-75 (east). The proposed trail will pass through south Lee County into north Collier County through the City of Bonita Springs and the Village of Estero.
Concept alternatives will identify right-of-way (ROW) impacts, security measures, maintenance procedures, and environmental impacts. The preliminary analysis evaluated trail connectivity, project readiness, service, and the user experience. The study also collected data on ROW, planning-level costs, rail-trail crossings, and existing utilities. The three alternatives include a rail-to-trail alignment, a rail-with-trail alignment, and a trail alignment adjacent to existing roadways.
For more information about the project and the proposed alternatives, please visit LeeCollierRailTrail.com. Comments can be submitted via website or e-mail to info@LeeCollierRailTrail.com. Comments will be accepted until the end of October 2022. Hard copies of the project documents are available by contacting the MPO offices at 239-244-2220.