Session will begin at 5 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish
District One staff of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will host a public meeting on Thursday, March 15, regarding proposed median and access management improvements to U.S. 41 from Blackburn Point Road to McIntosh Road in Sarasota County, the department has announced.
An open house will begin at 5 p.m., followed by a public hearing at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, located at 241 Burney Road in Osprey, a news release says.
Beginning at 5 p.m., people may view the draft design plans, display boards with design overlays, ask questions and provide comments to FDOT representatives, the release adds. During the formal public hearing, a moderator will offer introductory remarks; then a slide presentation will follow, describing the project.
The primary purpose of the project is “to create a complete street that serves all users: cars, trucks, transit, pedestrians and bicycles,” the release explains.
“The proposed design includes reconstruction of paved shoulders from 4 feet to 7 feet to provide 7-foot-wide buffered bike lanes, widening of the right-turn lanes to accommodate the new bike lanes, and adding 5-foot-wide sidewalks to fill in the gaps on either side of the roadway,” the release notes. The proposed design also calls for widening the medians, closing the median opening at Holland Street and extending the southbound left-turn lane at Bay Street to allow additional space for vehicles, the release says.
Interested parties may submit written comments at the meeting or by mail, postmarked by March 26, to Justin R. Reck, FDOT Project Manager, at 801 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830; by telephone at 863-519-2502 or toll-free at 1-800-292-3368, Ext. 2502; or by email to justin.reck@dot.state.fl.us.