Spanish Moss Trail soon to stretch 11 miles from Port Royal to north of air station
The Spanish Moss Trail will run all the way from Port Royal to Clarendon Farms before the end of the year, say local officials.
First, the missing link in the trail's existing pathways is set to open next week with the completion of a new pedestrian crossing over Robert Smalls Parkway.
The new crossing will create the first-ever continuous pedestrian pathway from Burton to downtown Beaufort and Port Royal, said Dean Moss, director of the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail.
But that accomplishment won't slow the group's push to expand even farther, an effort which is getting an almost $2 million boost from the Kennedy family and Beaufort County.
The Kennedys, who own Clarendon Farms and are active philanthropists in Beaufort and throughout the Southeast, have pledged $1.7 million in financial support and land for the path to help complete the next phase of the trail -- about four miles from Roseida Road to Clarendon Road, Moss said.
Beaufort County Council voted unanimously this week to contribute $250,000 from local accommodations taxes to that cause.
Combined, the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trial hope the substantial commitments will help secure the remaining $500,000 cost of the phase from private donors, Moss and county leaders said.
"I don't know of any other grant offers that are this generous," county administrator Gary Kubic said.
The trail is a joint project of the county, Port Royal, the city of Beaufort, the friends group and the PATH Foundation of Atlanta, of which Jim and Sarah Kennedy are board members.
Once completed, the trail will stretch 11 miles from Port Royal to Gray's Hill and could be open by this fall. Future segments would extend the trail all the way to Seabrook.
"The objective is to get this baby built by Labor Day, because Mr. Kennedy has made it clear to the boys in Atlanta that are working the project that he expects to be able to ride the bike to downtown by then," Moss said with a laugh.
The ambitious project is now years ahead of its original anticipated schedule and other major donors still want to contribute, Moss and county Finance Committee Chairman Jerry Stewart boasted.
"When we started talking about the Spanish Moss Trail several years ago, I anticipated we would never see anything (this complete) in my life time," Beaufort County Council member Brian Flewelling said last week. "Here we are a couple years later almost to the Whale Branch River. I'm very proud of the commitment this council has shown to that kind of lifestyle in northern Beaufort County."
Map: Spanish Moss Trail route
Follow reporter Zach Murdock on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach and on Facebook at facebook.com/IPBGZach.
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- Despite armed robbery, victim says Spanish Moss Trail isn't dangerous, Aug. 27, 2015
- Boundary Street, Spanish Moss Trail plans moving ahead after delays, April 29, 2015
This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Spanish Moss Trail soon to stretch 11 miles from Port Royal to north of air station."