Pinellas Trail

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Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail
Ptrail main.jpg
Section of the Pinellas Trail
Length 37 mi; 59.5 km
Location Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Trailheads Tarpon Springs, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
Use Cycling, Walking, Hiking, Jogging, Inline Skating
Trail difficulty Easy to Moderate
Season Year round
Hazards Crime

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a pathway in Pinellas County in the U.S. state of Florida. It stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Petersburg in the south, passing through the towns of Crystal Beach, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo, Seminole, Bay Pines, South Pasadena and Gulfport. It is generally used for exercise and leisure (such as walking, jogging, cycling and inline skating), but can also be used as an alternative to driving. Motor vehicles, other than wheelchairs are prohibited on the trail. The distance of the main trail currently covers 37 miles (59.5 km).

The Pinellas Trail was named in honor of Fred Marquis, former Pinellas County Administrator who served from 1979 until 2000. An average of 90,000 people use the Trail each month.


Contents

[edit] History

In 1983, a man whose son was killed while riding his bike helped form the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organizations Bicycle Advisory Committee. This committee, in conjunction with the Pedestrian Safety Committee, wanted a safe place to enjoy cycling, hiking or jogging. At the same time, Pinellas County officials had the problem of what to do with a 34 mile (55 km) corridor of abandoned CSX Transportation right-of-way. The Seaboard Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroads both served St. Petersburg and Clearwater. When they both merged into the CSX, CSX Transportation combined the best of the former rail routes to keep as a rail line and the remainder was abandoned. The Pinellas Trail is composed of the following railroad segments: former Seaboard Air Line to the east of Tarpon Springs, the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad which ran from Tarpon Springs to Clearwater. At Clearwater, the Trail used the former Seaboard Air Line through the western suburbs and into St. Petersburg. Recently, some former Seaboard Air Line track in an industrial area of western downtown St. Petersburg had been decommissioned by CSX Transportation and converted to an eastward extension of the Pinellas Trail to downtown St. Petersburg.

On December 1, 1990, the first five mile (8 km) stretch of the trail opened linking Taylor Park in Largo to Seminole Park in Seminole. The trail’s popularity exceeded all expectations, and with the passage of the first Penny for Pinellas one-cent local option sales tax, plans were made to connect the rest of the county. There are discussions about connecting the Pinellas Trail to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail using former Seaboard Air Line track to northwest Tampa through Cosme, Citrus Park, Odessa and Tarpon Springs

In 2003, the trail was designated as a National Recreation Trail in the National Trails System by United States Department of Interior, National Park Service.

There are several overpasses along the trail so trailgoers can avoid traffic and busy intersections
Other "not so busy" intersections are well marked for safety
View across Boca Ciega Bay from the Cross Bayou Bridge along the Pinellas Trail

[edit] Timeline

  • 1888 The Orange Belt Railway arrives in St. Petersburg.
  • 1910 The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad arrives in Tarpon Springs.
  • 1914 The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad arrives in St. Petersburg.
  • 1983 Railroad right-of-way purchased by Florida Department of Transportation.
  • 1984 Pinellas Bicycle Advisory Committee proposes using the right-of-way as a bike route.
  • 1988 Pinellas Trails Inc. forms, expands the idea to a linear park and promotes public support.
  • 1989 The Pinellas Trail Project is approved by the Board of County Commissioners and they allocate $1.5 million to build a 15 mile (24 km) segment. County voters approve the Penney-for-Pinellas sales tax referendum with funding to complete 35 miles (56 km) of trail.
  • 1990 Two Trail preview sites are built near Seminole City Park and at Curlew Road and Alt. 19 in Dunedin. Five miles (8 km) of the Pinellas Trail from Taylor Park to Seminole City Park are completed on December 1.
  • 1991 The first Trail overpass opens over Ulmerton Road, Largo.
  • 1992 Trail from Taylor Park to Ozona opens. The West Bay Drive overpass in Largo is completed.
  • 1993 Trail from Seminole City Park to St. Petersburg opens. The Trail overpass at Orange Street and Alt. U.S. 19 opens.
  • 1994 St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs sections of the Trail open.
  • 1996 Park Boulevard overpass opens in Seminole.
  • 1997 Seminole Boulevard and 113th overpasses in Seminole open. The downtown Clearwater section opens and construction on the Cross Bayou Bridge begins.
  • 1999 The Friendship Trail Bridge (old Gandy Bridge) linking Pinellas County and Hillsborough County opens.
  • 2000 Cross Bayou Bridge opens in Seminole.
  • 2001 Park Street overpass near Tyrone Boulevard opens.
  • 2002 Central Avenue, 1st Avenue South and Pasadena Avenue overpass opens.
  • 2003 Pinellas Trail designated as a National Recreation Trail in the National Trails System by United States Department of Interior, National Park Service.
  • 2008 Pinellas Trail extends to Demens Landing Park in St. Petersburg from former southern terminus at 34th Street South at the north side of Gibbs High School.
  • 2009 34 St S (US 19) overpass under construction which will connect recently opened segment from former southern terminus to Demens Landing; scheduled completion in 2010. An overpass presently located to the south at Gibbs High School is scheduled to be demolished as soon as the Pinellas Trail overpass over 34 St S is completed.

[edit] Trail terminal points

  • Southern Terminus: The 2008 trail extension now allows riders to continue along the north side of Gibbs High School, through the industrial neighborhoods west of downtown Saint Petersburg, before passing next to both Tropicana Field (home to Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays)and Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field (the former Rays' Spring Training site). Between the ballfields the trail threads itself through downtown St. Petersburg via a specially allocated and protected part of 1st Avenue South.
  • Northern Terminus: Many users of this trail turn around at the east side of the U.S. 19 tunnel, believing that this is the northern end of the trail. It is not. The trail extends southward next to U.S. 19 for a short distance before turning east, bordering the Tarpon Glen Motor Home Park. The trail turns south on North Jasmine Avenue and then east on Melon Street before terminating at Keystone Road.
  • East Lake Road Section: This section of the trail is found along East Lake Road. With a southern terminus located at John Chesnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor it extends northward to Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs.
  • Elfers Spur: The Elfers Spur of the Pinellas Trail opened on June 15, 2004. Extending for 0.75 miles (1.21 km) and crossing the Anclote River, it connects the mainline trail in Tarpon Springs to the North Anclote River Nature Park. [1]
  • Downtown Extension: The Downtown Extension of the Pinellas Trail opened on 12 July 2008. Extending for 2.1 miles (3.4 km), it routes from 34th Street to the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg.[4]
  • Future Extensions: The Pinellas Trail is planned to have extensions connecting its East Lake Road segment to the current northern terminus, as well as an extension along the Pinellas Bayway to Fort De Soto Park.[3]

[edit] Future

When completed this unique linear park will convert approximately 47 miles (76 km) of unused railroad easement and other rights-of-way into a trail for runners, bicyclists, walkers, skaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The East Lake Road fragment is slated to be connected to the trail's northern terminus located along Keystone Road's northern side, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of East Lake Road. Also slated for the East Lake Road section of the Pinellas Trail is to have it extend further southward passing near the Countryside/Westfield Mall. There are two new overpasses for crossing U.S. Highway 19. One is just south of Countryside/Westfield Mall, in the Enterprise Road area, and the other is on the north side of Gibbs High School property.

[edit] Grade separations

The trail currently has 9 bridges: (From north to south)

  1. Alternate U.S. 19 (just north of Curlew Road).
  2. West Bay Drive (between mile markers 15 & 16).
  3. Ulmerton Road (just north of mile marker 14).
  4. 78th Avenue North/Park Boulevard (between m.m. 10 & 11).
  5. 113th Street (just south of m.m. 10)
  6. Seminole Boulevard (nearly at m.m. 9).
  7. Park Street
  8. 38th Avenue North (#7 & #8 both framing the Lighthouse Shopping Center Wal-Mart).
  9. Central Avenue/1st Avenue South/Pasadena Avenue (a very long, relaxed "L" shaped bridge).

[edit] Hazards

Some of the areas of the Pinellas Trail are known to go through dangerous neighborhoods, especially through Southern Saint Petersburg. People using the trail are advised to exercise caution and use common sense when scheduling your hours of travel.


[edit] References

  1. ^ "Pinellas Trail extension work complete." St. Petersburg Times, 5 June 2004
  2. ^ The Pinellas Trail Progress Energy Extension.
  3. ^ a b "What's up with the Progress Energy Extension?" Spoke 'n' Word, tampabay.com, 5 May 2008
  4. ^ "Pinellas Trail extension popular before official opening." Spoke 'n' Word, tampabay.com, 17 June 2008

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pinellas Trail

Coordinates: 27°57′32″N 82°47′49″W / 27.95889°N 82.79694°W / 27.95889; -82.79694

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pinellas_Trail&oldid=477995667"
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