Next Island Bike Trail Segment in the Works
The first section of the Amelia Island Parkway multiuse trail opened earlier this year to positive reviews, and the second construction phase of the trail will start later this summer, said Robert T. Companion, deputy county manager and county engineer.
The first section of the Amelia Island Parkway Trail connects to the Amelia Island Trail at South Fletcher Avenue. When all four phases are completed, the 3.2-mile Amelia Island Parkway Trail will run along the parkway from South Fletcher to State Road 200 (South 8th Street), while intersecting and connecting to the Amelia River to Sea Trail at Bailey Road.
Composed of asphalt, the trail is the latest addition to a growing network of multi-use pathways crisscrossing Amelia Island. The county has designed a broader plan that will extend the trail network to the north part of the island.
“It’s part of the [county comprehensive] plan, which includes future trail projects,” Companion said. “If you look at the big picture, the original Amelia Island Trail goes from the south end of the island to Peters Point. This Amelia Island Parkway Trail ties into it. At Bailey Road, you can pick up the Amelia River to Sea Trail.”
To connect the original Amelia Island Trail and the new Amelia Island Parkway Trail, the Department of Transportation installed a pedestrian and bicycle crossing at the intersection at South Fletcher Avenue. The light-controlled crosswalk provides safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists crossing Fletcher from the north and south. The Amelia Island Parkway Trail currently ends at Via Del Rey, the street that marks the entrance to the Fernandina Beach Golf Club.
“We refer to these trails as multiuse paths,” Companion said. “They are for recreation and transportation purposes. You cannot use motorized vehicles on the trails except for e-bikes. Golf carts are not allowed.”
“We don’t want enthusiastic bicyclists pedaling 30 mph and running into a family going a little bit slower,” he said.
The trail has pleased residents of the neighborhoods north of Fletcher Avenue, who can now safely walk or bike to Peters Point. A crosswalk also allows bikers and pedestrians to cross Buccaneer Trail. Eventually, the county plans to construct a roundabout at that intersection.
“The county is super excited about the Amelia Island Parkway Trail, and we’ve had a lot of support from local bicycle groups,” Companion said. But, he added, “Folks are still kind of waiting for the next three phases. It was broken into four different segments based on the funding.”
A contractor has been selected for the second phase of the Amelia Island Parkway Trail, which will run from Via Del Rey to South 14th Street, Companion said. The county commission is expected to vote on the contract this summer. Following that vote, work can begin. The trail is supported by about $8 million in federal funding.
“The goal is to keep moving on this,” he said. “The second phase will take six to eight months. The third and fourth phases will get built together. It may start right at the end of phase two, if not a bit before.”
Phase three is from South 14th Street to Bailey Road and phase four will extend from Bailey Road to SR 200.
The trail meets important needs, Companion said. Traffic has increased on the island, and alternative forms of transportation are needed.
“Recreation is a huge part of the trail,” he said. “But I like to talk about transportation, too. When you have a really good trail network, you can see a reduction in folks who choose to use a car. The island is not going to be forging any new roads. Going to alternative transportation methods, such as multiuse trails, is going to be the way we move forward on the island.”
Island cyclists and residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the Amelia Island Parkway Trail are eager for the next phase of construction.
“It’s nice to get off to get the parkway [and on to the trail], and you’re not next to traffic going 60 miles an hour. It’s worked out really well,” said Mike Spino, chair of Citizens’ Task Force for Safe Walking and Biking in Fernandina Beach.
Citizen advocacy has been a key ingredient in the development of the various trails on Amelia Island. After a group of citizens helped lobby for the creation of the Amelia Island trail more than a decade ago, a group called Friends of the Amelia Island Trails was founded. The group has worked closely with local government to plan the trail network, says Mike Pikula, president of Friends of the Amelia Island Trails. The group also has raised funds for trail “extras,” such as rest stops, and helps with trail maintenance, such as by organizing volunteers to pick up trash along the trails.
“You can’t just build them and forget about it,” Pikula said. “I look at our trails as our front door to our community. You see bike trails and pedestrians out walking, and you feel safe.”
Pikula said he is confident in the expansion of the trail network on the island.
“I’m very confident things will move forward. The desire for people to get out and have good, safe recreational opportunities is just never-ending,” he said.
Eventually, Companion said, people should be able to navigate multi-use trails from the south end of the island to downtown. The county has secured funding for a trail to run along Will Hardee Road to Sadler Road, along Sadler to South 14th Street and north to Hickory Street.
The city of Fernandina Beach is working with the county and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization to fund a Schools to Downtown Waterfront Trail. That trail would connect the high school and middle schools at Citrona Avenue to downtown.
“Then you can go to the south end of the island to Center Street if you wanted to bike that far,” Companion said. “We see this as more of a regional plan.”
