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Coral Springs secures major grant for Everglades Loop trail. Here’s what to know

By Reporting by Olivia Lloyd. Produced with AI assistance
The 10.7-mile planned Everglades Memorial Loop in Coral Springs will receive a new batch of funding after an appropriations request.
The 10.7-mile planned Everglades Memorial Loop in Coral Springs will receive a new batch of funding after an appropriations request. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

Coral Springs has secured $800,000 in new funding for the Everglades Memorial Loop, a 10.7-mile walking and biking trail that would connect the city to the Everglades conservation levee.

The full project carries a $21.1 million price tag, and the city is seeking additional state funding.

FULL STORY: 11-mile loop to connect Coral Springs to Everglades levee secures $800K in funds

The 10.7-mile planned Everglades Memorial Loop will receive a new batch of funding after an appropriations request.
The 10.7-mile planned Everglades Memorial Loop will receive a new batch of funding after an appropriations request. City of Coral Springs

Here are key takeaways:

  • City Manager Catherine Givens announced the $800,000 appropriations award on the city podcast. Coral Springs had already received $300,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act and $750,000 from a previous appropriation cycle.
  • The loop will connect the conservation levee trail on the west side of the Sawgrass Expressway canal to the rest of Coral Springs via an existing trailhead at Atlantic Boulevard and a proposed overpass at Wiles Road.
  • The path runs south from Wiles to Sportsplex Drive, then along Royal Palm Boulevard, Coral Ridge Drive and Lakeview Drive before reaching Atlantic.
  • The project is split into nine segments, including a proposed 10-foot floating dock over the Sunshine Water Control Districts canal, a pedestrian bridge over the Sawgrass Expressway at Wiles and a three-story lookout tower along Sportsplex Drive.
  • Changes along Royal Palm Boulevard would slim vehicle lanes by 1 foot and widen sidewalks to 8-foot shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists, funded by the penny tax Broward voters approved for transportation projects.
  • The city is now pushing for priority status from the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails to help secure more funding.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Coral Springs News newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Coral Springs News journalists.

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