Florida's St. Lucie County installs Greenway signage
Travelers on State Road A1A might notice new signage marking the East Coast Greenway. St. Lucie County’s Public Works and Environmental Resources staff are taking the lead on installing white and green signs that identify the Greenway through the county on North Hutchinson Island. St. Lucie County worked with several agencies including the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the St. Lucie County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and others to designate the section of trail as well as to acquire necessary permits and maintenance agreements to install these new signs.
This pilot project is the first time that East Coast Greenway signs have been installed within a FDOT right-of- way. “This is great news as it will enable the rest of the trail to follow suit throughout the state of Florida where the Greenway is with FDOT right-of- ways. Hats off to all the partners and contributors to this project," says Paul Haydt, Florida coordinator for the East Coast GreenwayAlliance.
Through funding from the Florida SUN Trail program, St. Lucie County is working on $1.2 million worth of improvements to hiking and biking trails that will connect 22 miles of the Greenway through the heart of the Treasure Coast, including urban areas, forests, wetlands and coastal zones, including a portion which is designated as a Florida Scenic Highway.
“This is an excellent opportunity to help create awareness of this national trail system in our community and to link many of existing resources and trail infrastructure within the county,” explained St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Director Amy Griffin. “The East Coast Greenway will bring ecotourism to our area and link trail users to our county natural resources, parks and preserves, passive and active recreation opportunities including fishing, camping, wildlife viewing, and to our community economic centers such as downtown Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie.”
The East Coast Greenway is a developing 3,000-mile trail system linking many of the major cities of the Eastern Seaboard between Canada and Key West. More than 30 percent of the route is already on traffic-free greenways, creating safe, accessible routes for people of all ages and abilities. The Greenway fosters healthy lifestyles, empowers sustainable transportation, and promotes ecotourism.
To learn more about the Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan, visit www.floridasuntrail.com.
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