Section of roadway closed for about six-and-a-half hours
At 11:24 p.m. on April 20, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office reported a hazmat/gas leak at the intersection of University Parkway and Cattlemen Road.
Deputies were assisting responders with the Sarasota County Fire Department and TECO Energy at the scene, the agency advisory said.
“A construction crew hit a gas line,” the report explained, adding that the intersection would be closed “for the next several hours while crews repair the gas line. We are asking motorists to avoid the area at this time.”
Finally, at 6:07 a.m. on April 21, the Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory saying that the intersection had been reopened. Nonetheless, that report noted, “Construction crews will be in the area for the remainder of the day.”
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says the average annual daily traffic count for the area of University Parkway and Cattlemen Road is 53,500. For Cattlemen Road heading north by the Mall at University Town Center, the count is 11,000.
FDOT says it updates that data each April.
