A Critical Connection for an All-American Trail

Gresham Smith is designing a new 2.7-mile trail that will connect Marineland with Fort Matanzas National Monument along All American Road and Scenic Highway SR A1A. Our scope of work includes an alignment study, trail design, drainage design, stormwater permitting and re-decking of one existing bridge to accommodate the new trail. The trail will provide a critical segment connection for the 260-mile St. Johns River to Sea (SJR2C) Loop Trail, a part of the East Coast Greenway connecting Maine to Key West. The SJR2C Loop is becoming the longest multi-use loop trail in the Southeast. As part of this project, the team conducted a detailed alignment analysis that assessed over 150 elements affecting project location. Working with the Town of Marineland, St. Johns County and the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 2 and District 5, this project required resolution of various agency concerns, design for resiliency, multimodal safety features, and maintaining access to the beach and intracoastal waterway.