Pinellas County is full of trails for walking, running, and riding, but there’s one trail that goes nowhere.
The Progress Energy Trail is a grand plan that has been on hold for the last several years. The plan calls for the trail to run 20 miles, but only one section, which runs two-and-a-half miles along U.S. 19, is complete.
County employee Joe Demoss, who worked on the project, said the Great Recession brought construction on the trail to a halt.
There’s a pedestrian bridge that runs across the top of U.S. 19 that is supposed to give trail users a safe way to cross the major highway and connect to the Progress Energy Trail, but it leads to nowhere.
“We just keep telling [residents] to be patient and once funds become available with an improved economy becomes improved opportunities,” Demoss said.
Years ago, Progress Energy and Pinellas County entered into an agreement to develop the Progress Energy Trail. Pinellas County said the project was put on hold in favor of higher priority projects.
A spokesperson for Duke Energy, the company that merged with Progress Energy, said the two-year merger could have added to the delay.
Both sides said they are working together on a new agreement, and when the funds become available work could once again begin on the trail.
If the trail is completed, it’s supposed to connect with the Pinellas Trail and create a 70-mile loop around the county.