GREEN COVE SPRINGS – There should be a new addition of a two-and-a-half-mile concrete multiuse trail in the Green Cove Springs area by the fall of 2022.

“We’re in our design now,” said Mike Null, Assistant City Manager of Green Cove Springs. Design began in April 2019. We anticipate completing this design in July of next year, 2021. [We] expect to start construction in winter of 2021, and then we expect to complete it in the fall of 2022.”

The trail will be eight-feet wide and will begin at Harbor Road just north of town and south on US-17 to Palmetto Avenue. It will continue on Palmetto Ave., south through Green Cove Springs down to Oak Street until it ties into a nature trail.

The project is funded by the Department of Transportation and currently has a $1.5 million budget.

A public hearing was held last Tuesday, Oct. 8.

“Nothing negative,” said Null of public feedback for the project. “Everything’s been positive for the folks that have heard. We did have a public hearing this past Tuesday; unfortunately, no one from the public showed up. We did advertise it in the paper, Facebook, and all the other mobile outlets for us. We will have a second public hearing, which will be the day of our next council meeting. It will be Oct. 20 at 5.30.” At this public hearing, the city will have an engineer on the project speak. There will also be large boards to display the planned route. Residents can see it and see how it may affect them, especially if they live along the route. They will have the opportunity to hear more details and provide input.

Completion of the trail will be drawn out for several months.

“A lot its, obviously we’re working near the roadway,” said Null. “So, there’s a lot of traffic control we have to do, so we can’t shut down large segments at a time. We kind of have to work a piece at a time. There will be some utilities to adjust. We may have to move an electric pole here or there or a fire hydrant, and we’ll try to do that ahead of time… primarily it’s just because we’re working right near the roadway, sometimes right up against it, so we have to be careful, you know, as far as traffic about not impeding the traffic anymore than we absolutely have to.”

The trail will increase people’s opportunity to get out and exercise, which has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the path will also tie into future trails, which will run south Putnam County and east into St. John’s County.