FDOT to hold public meeting in January regarding improvements to Bee Ridge Road between Siesta and Dunn drives

Jan. 5 session to be held at Trinity United Methodist Church on South Shade Avenue

An aerial map shows a portion of Bee Ridge Road with the Dunn Drive intersection at far right. Image from Google Maps
An aerial map shows a portion of Bee Ridge Road with the Dunn Drive intersection at far right. Image from Google Maps

The first week of January, District One staff of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a public information meeting regarding planned improvements to State Road 758/Bee Ridge Road/Osprey Avenue from Siesta Drive east to Dunn Drive in Sarasota County, the department has announced.

The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 in Heritage Hall at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 4150 S. Shade Ave. in Sarasota, a news release says. An open house format will be utilized, providing interested persons the opportunity to talk one-on-one with project staff and to offer comments about the project, the release explains.

FDOT staff is urging local business owners and residents to attend this public meeting, the release points out.

“The project includes significant drainage improvements along State Road 758; replacing pipes and inlets; removing old asphalt and resurfacing the roadway”; reconstructing sidewalks; and installing new traffic signalization in some areas, the release says.

Additionally, crews will construct 11 pedestrian refuge islands on Bee Ridge Road between U.S. 41 and Dunn Drive, the release notes. “Pedestrian islands provide a safe space for pedestrians to stop before crossing the remaining portion of the roadway while increasing the visibility of pedestrians to motorists,” the release explains. The $17 million project will begin in early January 2016, the release says. Completion is expected during the summer of 2018.

People planning to attend the meeting who require “special accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disability Act of 1990,” or people who require translation services (free of charge), should contact Shelly Smith at 863-519-2761 or email shelly.smith@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the session, the release notes.