We Have a Deal – What Happens Next?
By now many of you may have heard the good news about the future Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) reaching another major milestone. Seminole Gulf Railway and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) have reached an agreement on the sale of the Bonita-Estero rail corridor for use as a public multi-use trail and greenway for $82M. The Friends of BERT 3000+ member organization have been advocating for the sale of the corridor to be used as a multi-use trail since our group’s inception in September of 2022. Over that time 21 area HOA boards representing over 18,000 homes have voted unanimously to endorse BERT which is clear evidence that the vast majority of area residents support the project and have a clear understanding how the trail can have a huge positive impact on the quality of their lives.
Certainly, the focus over the next few months will be on securing the funding necessary to purchase the corridor. TPL, Friends of BERT and many others have been working in concert to do just that. It may surprise you to learn that those efforts have been going on for many months prior to the agreement being reached. Potential funding sources include State Appropriations, FDOT SUN Trail, County/City/Village budgets, U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE Grants, HUD Community Development Block Grants, private philanthropy and potentially a county-wide ballot measure if needed.
Although securing the funding will be the top priority over the next few months it will not be the only activity going on during that time. In early 2023 the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) completed a feasibility study for a multi-use trail in the corridor. The feasibility study was presented to and approved by the Lee County MPO Committee made up of the county commissioners, area mayors and other elected officials in Lee County. The MPO must now complete a more in-depth Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study for the trail. The goal is to complete that study before March of 2026. In addition, TPL and Friends of BERT are working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Greenways and Trails who sets the priority for which trail initiatives are first to receive construction funding. Construction funding is provided by the Florida Department of Transportation SUN Trail program which looks to the Office of Greenways and Trails to help determine which initiatives are first in line to receive funding. The idea behind all of these efforts is to not wait until the sale of the corridor is complete before the PD&E study is completed and SUN Trail construction funding is ready to go once that phase of the project is set to begin.
The data is very clear; once completed the BERT trail and greenway will provide significant economic, health, safety, recreational benefits for the residents, visitors and businesses in Lee County. There is much work ahead before we can declare victory, but the agreement reached by Seminole Gulf Railway and Trust for Public Land as well as the many efforts now underway certainly moves us much closer making BERT a reality.
