A New Northern Portion of The Legacy Trail is Now Open for Use in Sarasota

A New Northern Portion of The Legacy Trail is Now Open for Use in Sarasota

Runners, Walkers, Roller-Bladers and Bicyclists, There is a new 3 Mile Stretch of The Legacy Trail in North Sarasota Open for Everyone to Use The new section of the trail is from Bahia Vista Street south to and slightly past Proctor Road in Sarasota. 

That portion, known as Segment 1, stretches about 3 miles.

In addition, Sarasota County opened the northernmost portion of Segment 2, extending three-quarters of a mile, to just north of Ashton Road. 

Also, in the Palmer Ranch area... the Legacy trail was extended about a half a mile, north of Culverhouse Nature Park, to Sawyer Loop Road. 

These northernmost extensions, along with the Legacy Trail North Port Connector, are all part of the $65 million project Sarasota County voters agreed in a 2018 referendum to finance with a bond issue. 

Sarasota County has new three trailheads currently under construction, making access to the Legacy Trail easier. . 

The Sarasota Springs Trailhead, at Webber Street and the Legacy Trail, and the Ashton Road Trailhead should both be open later this fall, along with the remainder of Segment 2. 

The third trailhead, known as the Pompano Trailhead, which will be located near the Sarasota County Fairgrounds and will include 12 lighted pickleball courts and a community center, is scheduled to open the fall of 2022, along with Segment 3 and the North Port Connector. 

Currently there are signalized at-grade crossings for the Legacy Trail at Clark Road and Beneva Road. In addition, there will be a signalized crossing at Tuttle Avenue. 

The Florida Department of Transportation is designing overpasses for both Clark and Bee Ridge roads. The hope is for those to be built in 2024. 

The original 12.5-mile Legacy Trail, which opened in 2008, used former railroad right-of-way to connect Culverhouse Nature Park in Palmer Ranch in central Sarasota County to the historic Venice Train Depot and the Venetian Waterway Park – a 9.3-mile concrete trail that runs along both banks of the Intracoastal Waterway and was built by Sarasota County and Venice Area Beautification Inc.  

That portion of the Legacy Trail travels north through Nokomis Community Park and Laurel Park and Oscar Scherer State Park.  

Learn more and stay up to date on al things The Legacy Trail, from Sarasota County here: https://www.scgov.net/government/capital-projects/legacy-trail-update