FDOT still has to complete staircases, department says
Drivers — as well as walkers and bicyclists — have been keeping an eye for months on the Bee Ridge Road Legacy Trail overpass in Sarasota, awaiting its opening.
On June 18, Sarasota County staff announced the following on the county government’s Facebook page:
“It’s time to hit the trail!
“The Bee Ridge Road pedestrian overpass along The Legacy Trail is now partially opened! The Florida Department of Transportation project is still under construction, but the overpass is now open for trail users. Please continue to use caution as work continues under the overpass.”
The nonprofit Friends of the Legacy Trail beat county staff by a day in making a similar announcement on its website.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One Roadwatch Report for the week of June 22 through June 28 pointed out, “While the [Bee Ridge Road] bridge is open, the pedestrian staircases are not yet complete. Please be aware of the potential for workers and construction vehicles in the area.”
“As the project is finalized,” the report added, “occasional daytime lane closures” will be necessary from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The work is expected to be completed in July, the advisory added.
The Legacy Trail stretches from North Port to Payne Park in downtown Sarasota, with a protected bike lane available along Ringling Boulevard — close to the park — for people to continue their rides.
The final segment of the North Extension of the Trail, to Payne Park, opened on March 3, 2022, “two years and nine months ahead of the original schedule,” as Nicole Rissler, director of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department (PRNR), pointed out during the festivities held that day. The formal connector from Venice to North Port officially opened to the public on Sept. 9, 2022.
In late November 2023, FDOT announced that it had begun construction of the Legacy Trail pedestrian and bicycle overpasses at Bee Ridge and Clark roads.
On April 23, 2019, FDOT had agreed to assume the responsibility for the design and construction of those structures. The department had planned to start the work in November 2022, Rissler told the county commissioners in May 2021. As of that point, she added, the projects were on FDOT’s timeline to be complete in November 2024.
The 2024 storm season resulted in delays on numerous projects in Southwest Florida.
Additionally, in early December 2023, following another presentation by Rissler, the County Commission voted unanimously to approve what are called Local Agency Program Agreements with FDOT, so the state could provide $2 million apiece for two more Legacy Trail overpasses. Those will be above Beneva Road and Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota.
After more than 70% of county voters in November 2018 approved a $65-million bond referendum to enable the county to proceed with the extensions, commissioners urged the PRNR staff to focus on getting segments completed as quickly as possible. The focus, they said, should be on the ground-level sections.
The nonprofit Friends of the Legacy Trail, which advocated for years for the transformation of former railway right of way into a nearly 30-mile-long bicycle/pedestrian route, maintains Trail usage data on its website. For 2024, the total was 644,408 users. Through May of this year, the figure stood at 320,868.
Thus far this year, February has proven to be the biggest month for people on The Legacy Trail, with 86,781 users documented, a chart shows. March is in second place, with 80,342.