The Sumter County Chamber of Commerce will welcome John Moore, Systems Planner for the Florida Department of Transportation, to discuss the proposed South Sumter Connector Trail at a luncheon event at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 10 at the Wildwood Country Resort.
Across the country, abandoned rail lines are being transformed into first class multi-use trail facilities enjoyed by hikers, bicyclists, and casual users of all ages. The Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail would provide a continuous 250-mile system of local, regional, state, and federal trails that begins at the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County, and extends to the Atlantic Ocean in Brevard County near the Kennedy Space Center. Once complete, the C2C Trail will span nine Central Florida counties, offering its users a scenic journey as they slice through parks and preserves, and crisscross walkable downtowns with a dip in the ocean on either end.
The Feasibility Study that commenced January 2015 by the Florida Department of Transportation, District Five is evaluating a 20-mile segment of the proposed C2C Trail, primarily within Sumter County known as the South Sumter Connector Trail. The proposed facility links the Withlacoochee State Trail to the west and General James A. Van Fleet State Trail to the east, connecting Sumter, Hernando, and Pasco counties. This is the largest portion of the overall Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail for which the details regarding the proposed location are still being identified.
At present, there are several conceptual alignments that generally follow the abandoned CSX rail corridors. The southern alignment parallels SR 50 and SR 575 and traverses the Withlacoochee State Forest with a couple variations at the southwestern point. Along the northern alignment, users could listen to the streaming water as they meander past the Withlacoochee River and hop on and off at the cities of Webster and Center Hill. Based on stakeholder input, alternative alignments for this segment have been identified and are being evaluated. Both alignments offer features that will integrate the natural environment and community assets. The study is scheduled to conclude June 2016 and will determine an appropriate route to complete the South Sumter Connector Gap by investigating the potential environmental and social impacts for the conceptual alignments.
For more information or to RSVP for the luncheon, contact the Sumter County Chamber office at 352-793-3099 or visit them on the web at www.sumterchamber.org