Pasco County is set to pick up $460,000 of more than $16 million in state funding that will help bring the Coast to Coast Connector — a continuous trail connecting both coasts of Florida — closer to reality.
The Pasco portion of the connector will stretch up through the central and western parts of the county along Starkey Trail and Suncoast Trail, stretching form the Pinellas County line to north of State Road 54.
Funds will from from the Florida Department of Transportation that will complete 11 phases of separate trail segments in nine counties. The funding is in addition to some $26 million that already has been invested in the connector project over the next five years by the DOT, according to the governor’s office.
When complete, the connector will span more than 250 miles, linking St. Petersburg and Titusville. Some 75 percent of the trail corridor already is developed, or funded for construction.
“With the projects announced today, we will be moving forward this year on virtually every gay within the Coast to Coast Connector,” FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad said, in a release. “FDOT is pleased to play such an instrumental role with our state and local partners to help advance this ambitious trail project. It will provide an exceptional experience and safe transportation route for our residents and visitors.
The connector is a collaborative effort of many agencies and organizations, including the 11 Central Florida metropolitan organizations that last summer made the trail project a regional priority.
FDOT will supervise development of the remaining connector gaps, and local governments or other managing agencies will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the completed trail segments.
