A Rails to Trails project was approved for a railroad that runs between the city of Newberry and the city of High Springs.

After months of consideration, commissioners voted to purchase the 3 million dollar railroad using money from the Wild Spaces Public Places tax.

Turning the railroad into a bike trail will cost roughly 15 million dollars from start to finish of the project.

Commissioners say right now, the focus is buying the trail and applying for grants to help pay for the rest.

“That’s the kind of money we’ll have to rely on state grants and federal funding for as it comes in, but we think we’re in a strong position to secure some of that funding,” said Alachua County Commissioner Mike Byerly.

High Springs officials also offered 300,000 dollars from their own WSPP tax revenue to help get the project going.