11-Mile Rail Trail Clears Final Hurdle Toward Closing

Bonita Springs, FL · November 9, 2026

Weekend quiet has yielded to Monday routine, with utility crews staking out fresh trench lines along Dean Street early this morning. There is plenty lined up across town once the workday wraps.

The Lead

The long-sought Bonita Estero Rail Trail is officially heading toward a January closing after clearing its final intergovernmental hurdle. With the Village of Estero unanimously reaffirming its participation alongside Bonita Springs and Collier County, the $60 million purchase of the 11.4-mile inactive rail corridor is now locked into contract through the Trust for Public Land.

For Bonita Springs residents—who voted decisively in August to back the acquisition with a $35 million bond—the deal secures nearly six miles of continuous right-of-way directly through downtown. The city council has already accepted initial environmental soil assessments and authorized bond offering documents. Once deeds transfer early next year, Seminole Gulf Railroad turns to pulling rails and cross ties from roadway crossings, starting the two-year conversion from industrial ballast to community greenway.

Local Pulse

Crews Install Drainage Structures Along Dean Street Roads Daytime flagging operations will slow neighborhood traffic as contractors install underground culverts to curb chronic rainy season street flooding.
North Beach Sand Renourishment Work Begins Parks Crews begin pumping fresh offshore sand this week to rebuild eroded shoreline dunes following turtle nesting season.
Veterans Day Trash Pickups Remain on Schedule Community County solid waste drivers will run regular residential routes Wednesday, keeping curb trash and recycling pickups entirely on time.

Today's Outlook

High 85°F · Low 66°F — Overcast
- Thick cloud cover keeps things mild today, so leave sunglasses in the car.

What's On Around Town

Today

Kids Read to Dogs Bonita Springs Public Library (10560 Reynolds St), 4:00 PM · Free Emerging readers practice reading aloud to gentle therapy dogs.
Picasso Night: Cubist Portraits El Basque Vin & Pintxo Restaurante (26841 S Bay Dr), 5:30–8:30 PM Guided canvas painting session creating bold abstract self-portraits over pintxos.
Live Music: Marco Delgrosso Sugarshack Downtown (26940 Old 41 Rd), 6:00–9:00 PM · Free Laid-back acoustic guitar tunes on the open-air downtown patio.
Stardust Memories Big Band Cambier Park, Naples, 7:00–9:00 PM · $10 Vocalist Danny Sinoff swings through Great American Songbook and Broadway standards.

Tomorrow

Open Play Sparrow & Palm (28280 Old 41 Rd), 6:00–8:00 PM · Free
Claudia Hoyser Live Sugarshack Downtown (26940 Old 41 Rd), 6:00–9:00 PM · Free
A Soldier's Date with the Devil Performing Arts Center (10150 Bonita Beach Rd), 7:30–9:30 PM · Paid

Wednesday

Annual Veterans Day Ceremony Liles Hotel Lawn (27300 Old 41 Rd), 9:00 AM · Free
Montgomery Gentry featuring Eddie Montgomery Sugarshack Downtown (26940 Old 41 Rd), 7:00–10:00 PM · Paid
Il Volo Live in Concert Hertz Arena (11000 Everblades Pkwy), Estero, 8:00 PM · Paid

Spotlight & Story

Setting the Pace
- Hoisted into place by crane in January 2007, Jane DeDecker’s 17-foot bronze sculpture depicts a solitary walker treading an endless wheel opposite the Riverside Park bandshell. Funded through the municipal percent-for-art trust, it marked the city's first leap into monumental public sculpture.

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