Ribbon Cutting for Holloway Family Trail

Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Executive Director Ryan Kordek joined Polk County officials and project partners Tuesday, Feb. 24, for a ribbon‑cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the newest extension of the Fort Fraser Trail in Lakeland. The segment, now officially named the Holloway Family Trail, honors the Holloway family’s generous donation of land that made the project possible.

Construction on the Holloway Family Trail began in July 2024. The project was funded through a $3.9 million state grant, along with additional contributions from the City of Lakeland and Polk County. These combined investments helped deliver a safe, scenic and highly anticipated connection within one of the county’s most popular multi‑use trail systems.

The Holloway Family Trail was the vision of the late Ed Holloway Jr., a land developer and self-proclaimed outdoorsman. In 2021, the family sold a portion of their 1,600 acres to Orlando Health for the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital. Holloway had long envisioned connecting Lakeland’s recreational trail system to the Fort Fraser Trail. In support of that vision, Orlando Health donated a half‑mile strip of land running parallel to the Polk Parkway, creating the final link needed to make the extension possible.

The new trail segment enhances mobility and recreation opportunities for residents and visitors, offering a more accessible route for walking, running and cycling. County leaders emphasized that the project reflects years of collaboration and a shared commitment to expanding active transportation options across the region.

“It takes long-range planning to identify the needed transportation projects of the future.” Polk TPO Executive Director Ryan Kordek said during the ceremony. “We’ve been planning this connection since the Polk Parkway was built in the mid-1990’s.”

The trail extension has been a Polk TPO priority since 2011, identified early as a key link needed to strengthen the countywide trail network. Its completion marks a major milestone in long‑range plans to connect neighborhoods, parks and major destinations through safe, accessible and well‑designed multi‑use paths.