U.S. 41/Fruitville Road roundabout to be focus of Oct. 26 public meeting, with comments welcome

Session to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sarasota City Hall

An FDOT graphic shows the project location (in yellow). Image courtesy FDOT

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has scheduled a public meeting for Thursday, Oct. 26, regarding proposed roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Fruitville Road in downtown Sarasota, the department has announced.

The session will be conducted from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Sarasota City Hall Commission Chambers, a news release says. City Hall is located at 1565 First St. in downtown Sarasota. The meeting will begin with an open house format, followed by a formal presentation at 6 p.m., the release adds.

Information about the proposed roundabout, including graphics showing the project’s location and details about the environmental analyses, will be on display, the release notes.

“This hearing offers people the opportunity to express their views about the location, conceptual design, and social, economic, and environmental effects” of the project, the release says. FDOT sent notices of the meeting to property owners located within 300 feet of either side of the proposed alternatives, the release adds.

The FDOT webpage about the project explains that a study of the potential improvements began in October 2016; it is expected to be completed in January 2018. The roundabout would be about situated about 400 feet from the current intersection in each direction, the webpage notes.

A 2014 traffic study undertaken in connection with the proposed project includes this data. ‘ADT’ refers to average daily traffic counts. Image courtesy FDOT

The draft study documents are available for public viewing through Nov. 6 at the Selby Public Library, located at 1331 First St. in downtown Sarasota. Business hours for the library are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Documents also may be viewed on the project website at http://www.swflroads.com/us41/fruitvilleroundabout/.

For more information, the public may contact the project manager, Joshua Jester, at 863-519-2251; by email at Joshua.Jester@dot.state.fl.us; or by written correspondence to the Florida Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, FL 33831. “All statements postmarked on or before November 10, 2017, will become a part of the public hearing record,” the release points out.