A ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning marked the opening of the north segment of the Pinellas Duke Energy Trail. The new trail now stretches 6.7 miles from Enterprise Road through the Countryside portion of Clearwater to John Chesnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor. It completes the North Gap of the planned Pinellas Trail Loop, a continuous 75-mile multi-use pathway that will eventually circle the County.
The Pinellas Duke Energy Trail is completed except for some minor items and a pedestrian bridge over the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal. Bridge construction is expected to begin next spring and conclude in summer 2024. In the meantime, a temporary connection of the trail from the intersection of Tampa Road and McMullen Booth Road to East Lake Road is available via existing sidewalks (signs are posted).
What is the Pinellas Duke Energy Trail?
Pinellas County has embarked on the impressive task of creating a 75-mile chain of trails, to be known as the Pinellas Trail Loop. When complete, Duke Energy Trail will be a 22.5 mile link in that chain, connecting to the existing Pinellas Trail and Weedon Island Trail at its northern and southern ends, respectively. The route utilizes power line corridors for most of its extent.
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Currently, trail users can access 4.1 miles of multipurpose pathway in two disconnected sections. The southern segment begins at another path, the Ream Wilson Clearwater Trail, and travels south along Old Coachman Road for 1 mile until it crosses the Gulf to Bay Boulevard (Route 60) and moves away from roads. It continues south along the power lines for another 1.5 miles until ending at Belleair Road.
The northern segment begins at Sunset Point Road and travels north 1.6 miles to Enterprise Road, including a pedestrian overpass of US 19.
