Another piece of the money puzzle is falling into place for a major bike and pedestrian trail in Southwest Florida.

Collier County Commissioners voted Tuesday to draw up a contract to pay $11.6 million to the Trust for Public Lands. That group needs $60 million by fall to buy abandoned tracks from Seminole Gulf Railway.

The idea is to turn the tracks into a bicycle and walking trail. It would start in Collier, and then run north through Bonita Springs and Estero. It would stretch about 14 miles. From south to north, the first one and a half miles would be located within Collier County. The undertaking goes by the acronym: BERT — Bonita-Estero Rail Trail.

"It is a momentous point, where we are today," Doug Hattaway of the trust told commissioners. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will change all three of these  communities  for many generations to come." 

The money will be drawn from Conservation Collier, and that brought up a question — does this fit the criteria for the conservation program?

Most commissioners said it does, and it's better than taking money from reserves, or from the general fund.

The vote was four-to-one to make a contractual commitment to pay the $11.6 million, with commissioner William McDaniel voting no.

Government bodies in Bonita Springs and Estero also are pledging millions of dollars to try to make the rail trail, a reality.

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News, and also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.