Plans for an extension of the Wekiva Trail are moving forward following a recent agreement from railroad company CSX Transportation to sell their unused train tracks to several cities in Lake County.
CSX has indicated they intend to work with Lake County, the city of Mount Dora, the city of Tavares and the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to sell tracks that would allow the Wekiva Trail to extend into an 11.5-mile pathway between Sorrento and Tavares.
The planned pathway would connect with the Wekiva Trail near County Road 437 in Sorrento, winding along Old U.S. Highway 441 through Mount Dora, ending at Wooton Park in Tavares.
“The goal is for the trail to provide pedestrian access, to be a utility corridor that could have fiber and sewer in it and to provide a safety aspect for pedestrians,” Jeff Earhart, Lake County engineering director, said. “We’ve had over 200 pedestrian accidents in the area and this would give them a safer route to traverse the county.”
From 2020 to 2024, according to Lake County, there were 14 fatalities and 289 pedestrian and bicycle crashes along the Wekiva Trail corridor.
With the trail extension noted as a major pedestrian safety priority for county officials, Earhart said they are still in the process of securing funding and hope to wrap up negotiations with CSX by the end of the year.
Seeking grants to cover over 50% of the total price, county officials estimate the project will cost $53 million.
“We did apply for a federal RAISE grant for about $20 million, we’re waiting to hear on that,” Earhart said. “The purchase price of the railroad is probably between $22 million and $28 million, averaging about $25 million.”
The 11.5-mile extension will connect with another planned three-mile section in Sorrento, funded by FDOT for $3 million and currently in the process of right-of-way acquisition, from Sorrento Ave. — also known as State Road 46 — to its intersection with County Road 46A in Mount Plymouth.
These will join existing and completed sections along Wekiva Parkway and SR 46 into Seminole County, bringing the Lake County portion of the trail a total 22.9 miles from the county line to Wooton Park in Tavares.
“This will connect into Seminole County, which connects to Orange County and I think eventually goes all the way to Titusville,” Earhart said.
Beyond a multi-use corridor for pedestrians to travel along, Earhart said the county has plans for a few historical and artistic elements to be added to the trail once completed.
“I like the crossing at 441 that’s got the old railroad bridge,” he said. “The idea there is to potentially put the word ‘Mount Dora’ in lights with a sign to beautify that area a little bit.”We want to save some of the nails or different items from the railroad and put them in a museum to save them for Lake County history or do some educational kiosks along the trail.”
Lake County Commission Chair Leslie Campione said the project will be great for people interested in exploring the area for recreation or exercise.
“The Wekiva Trail Extension will be an asset for Lake County’s residents and visitors,” she said in a statement. “There are huge economic benefits for downtown districts and businesses near trails such as this.”
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