Dreams of a long bike and pedestrian trail in Southwest Florida have moved closer to becoming reality.

The Trust for Public Land and Seminole Gulf Railway have announced a new agreement on turning old train tracks, into a trail for recreation.

The deal allows the trust to buy just over 11 miles of abandoned railway for $60 million. That's $10 milllion less than a previous agreement that was set to expire next month. The new agreement allows another six months — until October — to close the deal and purchase the rail line.

The trail, often referred to as BERT, would start in north Collier County and run through Bonita Springs and Estero in Lee County. BERT stands for Bonita Estero Rail Trail.

 "We could not be  more excited," Deb Orton, founder of Friends of BERT, said.  "Most of us are cyclists quite honestly.  And we live in one of the most dangerous places in the country for cyclists.  So for us, we got into this because we wanted  a safe place to walk and to ride a bike."  

The City of Bonita Springs, Village of Estero and Collier County government already have pledged millions. Now, they will have until October to put in more millions, and BERT supporters can raise cash through donations, to reach $60 million.

Orton said that some supporters of the rail trail are pedestrians who just want to get exercise in a natural environment. She added that BERT eventually could tie in with other bike and pedestrian trails heading north and south through the region.

"We often say that we are on a roller coaster ride," Orton said. "Right now we are heading to the top, and then we will experience the thrill of coming down on the other side."

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Cost university. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.