Village of Estero approves purchase, Bonita Springs advances discussions for rail trail

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. —

The Bonita Estero Rail Trail project is moving forward as the Village of Estero approved buying land for the proposed 11.4-mile trail, which will extend from Estero to Collier County, pending a vote by Bonita Springs residents.

Zoe Shutka, a Bonita Springs resident, expressed her enthusiasm for the project. "We're pretty excited about it," Shutka said. "We would vote 'yes' on that." She believes the trail would benefit the area by connecting different regions, stating, "I think that it is a benefit to our area to have something like that connecting different areas."

The project is expected to cost $60 million, with the expenses divided among Bonita Springs, Estero and Collier County.

Bonita Springs Mayor Mike Gibson discussed the financial strategy, saying, "We're also looking at how much we're going to ask to borrow, are we doing just to purchase a property and then it'll take a while to build anything? Or do we, you know, ask for a little more upfront so that way we can actually get started and people have something to use quicker?"

Deb Orton, president of BERT, emphasized the project's potential impact on tourism, health and safety in Southwest Florida. "It really will be a transformational project for this whole all of Southwest Florida," Orton said.

The Seminole Gulf Railway will have two years to remove the rails. If the Bonita Springs City Council approves the project, it will be placed on the primary ballot in August for residents to vote on.

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