Treasure Coast may get more miles of East Coast Greenway

More than $14 million will be spent here extending a walking-and-biking trail in Hobe Sound, planned as part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile path from Maine to Key West.

The trail will also be part of the Florida's Shared Use Non-motorized Trail network, a series of paved, multi-use recreational trails connecting the Panhandle to Key West.

"There's going to be quite a network of trails available to our residents once this is constructed," said Martin County Public Works Director Jim Gorton, speaking about this and other segments of the trail in Martin and St. Lucie counties. The trail is partially complete in both.

St. Lucie County kicked off construction of its portion of the East Coast Greenway in 2021 with nearly 1 mile near Indian Hills Drive. A 9.2-mile section of Greenway in St. Lucie County, north of the Martin County line nearly to Easy Street, is complete, according to a SUN Trail Network map. Three other smaller sections in St. Lucie County also are complete.

Indian River County's section of the East Coast Greenway — on North Hutchinson Island — is complete except for a quarter-mile section just south of the Brevard County line.


Martin County's portion


The state is spending $14.2 million on two segments — 3.1 miles and 2.2 miles — in Hobe Sound, starting at the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge and extend north alongside U.S. 1 to Southeast Osprey Street.

"The SUN Trail provides the public the ability to enjoy Florida's natural resources and bring ecotourism and economic opportunities to local trail-town communities," said Guillermo Canedo, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Martin County will be responsible $1,000 of the trail's maintenance annually.

Construction of the 3.1-mile segment, from Southeast Bridge Road to Southeast Osprey Street, is estimated to cost $8.5 million. That work is expected to start this summer and may take 1½ years to complete since it's part of a U.S. 1 resurfacing project.

A 2.2-mile segment from the wildlife refuge to Southeast Bridge Road is estimated to cost $5.7 million. That construction may start in fall 2028 and take 12-15 months to complete.

That segment would provide a place for pedestrians, bicyclists, runners and skaters where no sidewalk now exists, according to FDOT.

Both segments, asphalt in most places, would be 10-12 feet wide.

Florida legislators established the SUN Trail program in 2015, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the program through its Office of Greenways and Trails.

The SUN Trail program connects parks and other greenspaces, providing a safe way for hikers and bicyclists to see Florida without having to cross busy intersections and highways, according to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, which aims to protect and restore the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a network of lands and waters supporting people, animals and plants.

"Nearly 70% of the Greenway's spine route in Florida is complete or at an advanced stage of development," said Dennis Markatos-Soriano, East Coast Greenway Alliance executive director.

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The entire East Coast Greenway is now 37% complete and includes about 1,060 miles of protected, off-road paths. The Greenway receives 50 million visits a year, according to the Alliance.

Those visits have included one person running the length of the Greenway and a unicyclist riding it, Markatos-Soriano said.

"But what we want is for it not just to be for the adventurous, but for everybody," he said.

"From the moose to the manatee, from the pines to the palms," he added, the alliance wants everyone to have access to and explore the eastern seaboard.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at [email protected] m and at 720-288-6882.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Treasure Coast may get more miles of East Coast Greenway