Home News Martin County bicyclists, pedestrians will avoid traffic with multimodal Golden Gate trail

Martin County bicyclists, pedestrians will avoid traffic with multimodal Golden Gate trail

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Martin County bicyclists, pedestrians will avoid traffic with multimodal Golden Gate trail

GOLDEN GATE — Residents who primarily walk or bike through the neighborhood will have a new route to utilize while avoiding traffic-heavy Southeast Dixie Highway.

The half-mile multimodal Camino Trail is to be built through the heart of the community, with construction expected to begin in late spring or early summer, said Susan Kores, Martin County Office of Community Development manager. It will take at least a year to build the 10-foot-wide concrete path with a number of special features.

The project will cost an estimated $2.2 million, with about half paid by state and federal grants, Kores said.

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The vehicle-free trail will be an extension of Southeast Camino Avenue, which runs three blocks from Southeast Indian Street to Southeast Clayton Street, site plans show. It will end at Jefferson Street and branch out west to Southeast Dixie Highway.

“People have been using it to go north and south. It’s just nothing formal,” Kores said. “It’s kind of organic, and what we’re doing is we’re going to beautify and formalize it. Make it a real destination.”

Conceptual plans show the Golden Gate Camino Trail, which is slated for construction in 2023. It be a concrete path used by bicyclists and pedestrians to travel through the community while avoiding Southeast Dixie Highway.

Cynthia Ramsey, chair of the Golden Gate Neighborhood Advisory Committee, predicted the trail will increase pedestrian, bicycle and other transportation safety in the family-oriented neighborhood, where more outdoor spaces are needed, she said.

“I think it’s going to add atmosphere, a feeling of safety and more of a feeling of community,” she said. “It’s going to be a definite boost to the neighborhood. And it’s a unique boost.”

Elizabeth Gomez, 21, has worked at the Taco Truck on Southeast Dixie Highway for five years and anticipates the trail will make the business more accessible, as many customers ride their bikes to the food truck, she said.

“People would be able to get here quicker,” Gomez said.