Project to be split into two segments, with construction expected to get underway by early 2021
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is seeking public comments through Nov. 18 on a project that will provide buffered, 6-foot-wide bicycle lanes and 6-foot-wide sidewalks on U.S. 41 between South Beneva Road and Stickney Point Road, the department has announced.
The planned initiative has been divided into two segments, the department’s webpages point out. Improvements will be undertaken between Beneva Road and Caribbean Drive and then from Caribbean Drive to Stickney Point Road, an FDOT news release says.
The $5.56-million Beneva/Caribbean Drive section is scheduled to get underway late this year or in early 2021, the FDOT webpages say. The $4.57-million segment from Caribbean Drive to Stickney Point Road is slated for construction in the summer of 2022, FDOT adds.
The design calls for U.S. 41 to be resurfaced “to provide 6-foot-wide shoulders that will be utilized as 6-foot-wide buffered bike lanes,” the project webpages explain. A Frequently Asked Questions document points out, “A buffered bike lane is similar to a regular bike lane,” but it includes a marked buffer between the bike lane and the adjacent travel lanes.
“Buffered bike lanes are wide enough to provide adequate maneuvering room for cyclists. The buffer is needed to prevent motorists from using the lane as a travel lane,” the webpage continues. “The buffer is placed between the bike lane and travel lane. The buffer is marked with two white lines to indicate the bike lane is a special use lane for bicyclists, and motorists must yield to traffic in the lane before merging or turning across the lane,” the webpage adds.
FDOT also plans to construct the sidewalks on both sides of U.S. 41 “to improve safety for multimodal transportation on this corridor,” the webpages note.
“Modification of pedestrian sidewalk ramps will take place throughout the project to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, and driveways will be modified as needed to accommodate the new sidewalks and to bring them up to current design standards,” the webpages point out. “FDOT will also construct bus shelter pads and boarding pads along the corridor,” the pages say.
Through Nov. 18, comments and questions will be accepted by email, through FDOT’s website, and by mail, the news release points out. “All correspondence will be posted to the project website after this deadline,” the release adds.
The project manager is Michael Johnson. His email is Michael.Johnson@dot.state.fl.us.
The District One secretary for FDOT is L.K. Nandam. His address is 801 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830.
The project websites may be found at these links: http://swflroads.com/us41/caribbeantostickneypoint/ and http://swflroads.com/us41/benevatocaribbean/.