EASTERN CANAL BANK OF THE C-18 BETWEEN RIVERBEND PARK AND SANDHILL CRANE PARK ON PGA BLVD. IS CLOSED TO PUBLIC USE 24/7 UNTIL CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE

Phase 1 of *NENA’s (Northeast Everglades Natural Area) Bluegill Trail is under construction and is closed to public use until construction is complete.  This portion of the trail starts just north of PGA Boulevard at Sandhill Crane Access Park and follows the eastern levee of the C-18 Canal up to Riverbend Park.   It is posted as a construction site from Sandhill Crane Access Park to just south of the Reese bridge (cattle bridge). Although the site has been posted as “Closed due to Construction” at Sandhill Crane Access Park, 154th Street in Palm Beach Country Estates, and near the Reese bridge, the contractor and Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) inspectors are reporting that they have  encountered individuals riding, walking, jogging or bicycling on the levee.

Poster size copies of the fact sheet have been provided to Riverbend Park, Sandhill Crane Access Park, and ERM has mounted one in the pass-through opening  at the 154th Street “yellow” gate” in Palm Beach Country Estates. The Donald Ross Landowners Association will be including an article on the construction in their next community newsletter.  For more details about the project, see the fact sheet on our website at:
www.pbcgov.org/erm/downloads/pdf/projectfactsheets/BluegillTrailfs.pdf

For most of the construction period, the Reese bridge will remain open to users accessing the C-18  Canal levee from the SFWMD pass-through gate that is located northeast of the bridge. During bridge construction and construction of the segment of the trail between the new bridge and the fence around Riverbend Park, the west side of the C-18 Canal levee will also be closed to public use.

Posting the construction site is done for public safety and to protect the contractor’s equipment and supplies kept on the site during construction. Please be aware that trespass through a construction site is a felony offense, not a misdemeanor.  The County’s Wildlands Task Force officers will be enforcing the law against trespassers.

This trail will be a wonderful amenity when it is completed, offering improved access for hikers, joggers, cyclists and equestrians. 

Many thanks for your cooperation in staying off the trail during construction!