The Florida Department of Transportation presented the proposed route and design of a new walking and biking trail to be built on the UF campus in 2015 at an open house Thursday night.
The UF Campus Greenway trail will begin on the south side of Hull Road, west of Southwest 34th Street and will connect many of the already existing campus trails until it reaches South Newell Drive and ends at Archer Road.
“It’s a safer and efficient way to get through university property,” said Mike Osipov, vice president of Volkert Inc., the engineering firm in charge of designing the project.
With construction costs estimated between $2.5 million and $2.8 million, the trail funded federally.
The designers of the project chose to use different materials throughout the trail to fit the surrounding areas. They will better handle stormwater runoff and minimize effects on the natural environment, said Gene Quinn, principal in charge of the project.
Chandler Otis, 59, a bicycle salesman and mechanic, said he has been anticipating this trail for about 15 years.
The trail will ultimately connect Hawthorne to Archer so people will be able to ride their bicycles continuously through those areas, Otis said.
“This is going to be a wonderful thing,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/27/2013 under the headline "Public sees plans for 2015 UF walking, biking trail"
