Overview

In December 2004, Sarasota County paid $11.75-million to purchase the former CSX Transportation railroad corridor connecting Sarasota to Venice as a future multiuse recreational trail. The purchase was accomplished in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization. The 12.4-mile-long and 100-foot-wide corridor stretches from just over a mile south of State Road 72 (Clark Road) by Sawyer Loop Road in Sarasota to the southern terminus near Center Road in Venice.

Historical Perspective

This corridor serves as a link to the rich and wonderful past of the region. In 1911, the railroad corridor was extended through the Venice area at the request of the Palmer family. The railroad line preceded any of our modern highways, and served as the way Southwest Florida was discovered by many of its early inhabitants. Among the more well-known users of the railroad line were the U.S. Army during World War II, the Kentucky Military Institute and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which wintered in Venice from 1962-1992. The railroad corridor links with the Venice Train Depot, which was built in 1927 and used for many years until the last passenger left the depot in 1971. Under a separate project, the Venice Train Depot was later purchased and rehabilitated by the county, which reopened it in 2003 to once again serve the area’s transportation needs as the south county passenger transfer facility for Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT). The depot will serve as one of the trail heads of the recreational trail.

The Legacy Trail

On May 9, 2007, the Sarasota County Commission approved the name, The Legacy Trail, to reflect the heritage of the former railroad corridor and the trail’s lasting legacy for future generations. The name was based on a trend that surfaced in a number of suggestions from the public. More than 100 names were submitted.

---

Project Status

There are three phases of construction:

• Phase I: Completed in 2006, the initial phase included clearing a 14-foot-wide path, removing the rails and ties and placing a shell base. The contract was awarded to Frederick Derr for $1.1 million. The primitive trail is being used, but the trestles have been fenced off for the safety and protection of the public.




• Phase II: In December 2006, the firm of Gibbs & Register Inc. in Winter Haven was awarded a $14.7 million design-build contract to complete the final design and construction of a 10.6-mile trail, including the replacement or rehabilitation of six small trestles. The final design will include an asphalt trail, trail head connections and signal crossings. Trail heads will be established at existing county facilities including the Venice Train Depot, Patriot’s Park, Nokomis Community Park, Laurel Park and Oscar Scherer State Park. There also will be new trail connections at Potter Park off Central Sarasota Parkway and the North Sarasota Trail Head off McIntosh Road near the Central County Water Reclamation Facility. The roadway crossings will be at Bird Bay and the U.S. 41 Bypass, Colonia Lane, Laurel Road, Central Sarasota Parkway and Palmer Ranch Parkway. At these crossings, new or existing signals or flashing beacons will be installed. This phase is scheduled for completion in February 2008.
  
  Trestles over Dona Bay and Roberts Bay
  Not included in the design-build contract is replacement of the trestles over Dona Bay and Roberts Bay. Sarasota County is currently designing the replacement of those bridges, which must be either removed or modified by order of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Sarasota County Commission has approved modifying the structures by removed the center superstructure of both trestles until the design and permitting are completed and funding is secured for their replacement. The trestles are being designed to be 12 feet wide, with the channel clearances similar to the U.S. 41 Bypass bridges to the west. The Dona Bay trestle will have an 12-foot vertical clearance, while the Roberts Bay trestle will have an 8-foot vertical clearance. Both trestles will have a 30-foot-wide horizontal clearance. The cost of design and permitting for replacement of the trestles is about $280,000, with a construction price tag estimated at $5 million.






• Phase III: This final phase includes amenities such as landscaping, rest stop shelters and additional connections and trailheads. There is no cost estimate for Phase III and no funding source is available.