Project to be constructed by Three Rivers Stewardship District in partnership with county
On a unanimous vote this week, the Sarasota County Commission approved the allocation of $21,553,052 for the county’s share of the expense of right of way acquisition and construction of Segment B of Lorraine Road South — one of three north-south sections between Clark Road and Knights Trail Road.
The new four-lane segment is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2028, county documents say. Revenue from the fourth iteration of the county’s penny sales tax — or Surtax — program will cover the county’s expense, Spencer Anderson, director of the county’s Transportation Department, noted during his Sept. 8 presentation to the commission.
He previously had calculated that the expense would have been about $25 million, Anderson pointed out.
The Three Rivers Stewardship District — formerly the Lakes of Sarasota Community Development District — is responsible for the construction of the segment over a distance of 2.42 miles, Anderson explained, thanks to a partnership with the county. After the District has solicited for bids for the construction, Anderson added, the resulting, preferred bid will be provided to the county for review.
An agreement that the board members also approved with their Sept. 8 vote provides for the Three Rivers Stewardship District to transfer a 150-foot-wide right of way to the county, “along with appropriate easements for related stormwater facilities” for the project, as a county staff memo explained the plans.
The design and permitting for Segment B is complete, the memo said. The design and permitting for the final portion of Lorraine Road South — Segment C — is expected to be finished in December, the memo added.
On March 7, 2023, Anderson noted, the commissioners seated at that time approved details of the Segments B and C plans, with Palmer Ranch/McCann Holdings LTD to handle Segment C. A construction and right of way agreement for that last portion of the project is anticipated to be ready for commission consideration late this year, he said.
Earlier, Anderson pointed out — on March 9, 2021 — the board members approved interlocal agreements with three districts for the necessary corridor studies that would lead to the alignment of Lorraine Road south from Clark Road to Knights Trail Road.
The LT Ranch Community Development District already has completed construction of the 1.95-mile initial, four-lane section of Lorraine Road South within a 150-foot-wide right of way, the Sept. 8 staff memo said.
The need for ‘a viable north-south connection’
“We know the interstate does have its problems from time to time,” Anderson acknowledged during his Sept. 8 exchanges with the commissioners, “and we really lack a viable north-south connection for moving people …”
Not only will Lorraine Road South serve residents in the eastern part of the county, he continued, but it also will serve “all of the county residents.” When Lorraine Road South is complete, Anderson continued, “You’ll be able to travel from Jacaranda Boulevard [in Venice] all the way to north of the Manatee River off the interstate.”
For that matter, he added, people in other areas of the state will be able to take advantage of that corridor, and “It completes a major segment of [the] thoroughfare plan for the county.”
Commissioner Teresa Mast talked of having taken “some significant time” to review videos and documents related to the past commissions’ discussions about Lorraine Road South. She wanted to extend her thanks to the board members seated in March 2023, she added, noting that she and Commissioner Tom Knight were not among them. “There was a lot of forward thinking in saying, ‘We’re not going to accept a 2-lane road.’ ”
“We’ve all learned that it’s a real pain to come back later and widen a road,” when the potential exists to allow for four lanes at the outset, Anderson told the commissioners. Nonetheless, he continued, “Funding is always going to be an issue.”
Mast also noted, “To have a major four-lane take this much traffic off I-75 and allow an alternate route north and south,” especially during hurricane evacuations, with residents’ safety a top priority, “is exactly what FDOT’s asking us to do.” (She was referring to the Florida Department of Transportation.) “This is what we need to do to catch up on our very antiquated infrastructure.”
Further, Mast offered plaudits for the forging of the public-private partnerships to create the Lorraine Road South segments. “This is huge …”
“Similar,” Commissioner Tom Knight said after Mast completed her remarks. He, too, had looked at videos of the earlier board discussions, he noted.
Mast also told Anderson, “Please hurry up and get this [segment] done so that you can finish my section up in my district. …” She was referring to the plans for Lorraine Road North.
Prompting laughter, Chair Ron Cutsinger said, “Spencer, before you get to Commissioner Mast’s road, you’ve got to get River Road finished first.”
Then Cutsinger pointed out that all of the commissioners realize that I-75 has “become a local road. … We need, desperately, north-south capacity, and Lorraine Road’s been a strategic priority since I’ve been on the board.”
Cutsinger won his first term in November 2020.
“I am really happy,” he stressed, to see how close staff is to getting the road completed. “It can’t happen soon enough,” he said. “I’m also really glad to see public-private partnerships here,” Cutsinger added. “The right of way gets donated,” and the construction begins “faster than we could do it: That’s a win-win for our community.”
He acknowledged that the completion of roads through such partnerships does benefit the affected developers. However, he pointed out, “It benefits the entire community,” as Anderson had noted.
Further, Cutsinger talked about having been on the commission in March 2023, when the decision was made to plan on four lanes for Lorraine Road South, “knowing we’re going to need ’em …”
Mast ended up making the necessary motion, and Commissioner Mark Smith seconded it. The motion passed 4-0, with Commissioner Joe Neunder absent from the meeting.