Hurricanes and supply chain issues among reasons for delay
The latest City of Sarasota roundabout — at the intersection of Ringling Boulevard and Pine Place in downtown Sarasota — was expected to open this month. Instead, its completion is anticipated in the spring, city staff has announced.
The project “has faced delays” related to supply chain issues, storm recovery and the evacuations prompted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, in September and October 2024, respectively, a city news release explains.
The construction of the roundabout at Ringling Boulevard and Pine Place began on April 29, 2024, the news release notes. The finished project will mark the completion of a string of roundabouts along Ringling Boulevard, at the intersections of Palm Avenue, Pineapple Avenue and Orange Avenue, as well as Pine Place, the release added.
Roundabouts such as the one underway at Ringling Boulevard and Pine Place “offer several important advantages over traditional signalized intersections,” the release pointed out. “In addition to improving traffic flow and pedestrian safety, the Federal Highway Administration notes that roundabouts reduce vehicle crash fatalities by more than 90% and injuries by 76%,” the release said.
“The project limits on Ringling Blvd extend approximately 320 feet to the west and 260 feet to the east of the center of the intersection,” as noted on a city webpage. The Pine Place limits extend approximately 130 feet to the north and 110 feet to the south, that webpage adds. Among the roundabout’s features will be the following, city staff points out:
- Landscaping in the center island and at the four corners.
- An irrigation system.
- Drainage and utility lines adjustments.
- New and replacement light poles within the project limits.
- Brick paver crosswalks at the four legs of the roundabout.
- In-road warning lights controlled by automatic activation bollards at the crosswalks.
- A new Sarasota County Breeze Transit bus stop and transit shelter.
- A design that will allow the staging of two buses outside the travel lane.
- Striping and markings to match the bicycle and pedestrian enhancements to the Ringling Trail.
As the city’s website explains, “The City of Sarasota is reimagining Ringling Boulevard to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. Ringling Trail provides accessibility to and from the Legacy Trail at Payne Park to Downtown Sarasota while connecting [users] to shops, offices, homes, and parks.”
The city received a total of $4,070,466 from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for the roundabout, as reported in a Dec. 8, 2023 document for the City Commission meeting conducted that day.
As The Sarasota News Leader has reported, on May 17, 2023, the city entered into the original project agreement with FDOT, which called for the department to provide the city $1,977,000 for the construction.
However, the city received only two bids for the initiative in early August 2023. The lowest, a city document pointed out, was $3,722,466. Therefore, on Aug. 16, 2023, city staff submitted a new request to FDOT for an additional $2,093,466, because the “bid responses [returned] higher than expected,” the document said.
For more information on the Ringling Boulevard-Pine Place roundabout project, click here.