Bay Street extension open as of Dec. 20

Route connects Pine Ranch East Road/Willow Bend Way with new Honore Avenue roundabout

A graphic submitted by the Stantec consulting firm to Sarasota County staff in 2015, on behalf of Palmer Ranch Holdings, showed plans for the Bay Street extension and other improvements to the road network. Image courtesy Sarasota County

Dec. 20 marked the opening of the Bay Street extension, a public-private project between Sarasota County and Palmer Ranch Holdings, the county announced.

This project consisted of constructing a new 1.1-mile, two-lane, east-west corridor from Pine Ranch East Road/Willow Bend Way to a new Honore Avenue roundabout, a news release explains.

New medians, bicycle lanes and sidewalks were also constructed, and improvements were made to The Legacy Trails’s Osprey Junction trailhead, the release points out.

The new road will provide a link between U.S. 41 and Honore Avenue, the release adds. The design and construction of the project was managed by Palmer Ranch in coordination with Sarasota County staff, the release says.

The construction expense was approximately $5 million, with the funds being reimbursed to Palmer Ranch from road impact fees collected within that district, the release points out.