TRINITY, Fla. — Two public meetings this week revealed new information about a proposed 37-mile bike and pedestrian trail that will stretch across much of Pasco County from Trinity to Trilby.
The trail, called the Orange Belt Trail, would follow the old Orange Belt Railway.
What You Need To Know
- Public meetings this week proposed Orange Belt Trail
- 37-mile bike and pedestrian trail would stretch across much of Pasco County from Trinity to Trilby
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- Answers have not been determined, about the exact path of the trail, how much it will cost and when it may be completed
The Orange Belt Railway was built in the 1880s and used to transport oranges and other produce across the state.
The railway hasn’t been used in years, and much of the Pinellas Trail is already built over the top of the rail line.
Now, Pasco County wants to do the same thing.
“Thirty-seven miles is a lot of Pasco County, a diversity of areas that it will go through,” said Sam Beneck, with Pasco County Project Management.
Two DOT meetings this week introduced the project to the public, but many answers have not been determined, about the exact path of the trail, how much it will cost and when it may be completed.
Public input is being used to develop a plan for the trail, which Pasco County says could eventually connect to other trails, making a bike and pedestrian path that stretches across the entire state.
“The stage that we are at right now is more trying to figure out what the look and feel and features and amenities of the trail will be,” Beneck said. “And to start a little bit on setting that alignment, but that will really kind of come later on as we understand what the facility needs to be, then we kind of say where exactly.”
It could take 3 to 5 years to construct the trail depending on its exact path.
The county did not have an accurate estimate of how much the trail will cost because the plan is still in development.
