Roundabouts under discussion for Myrtle Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way
On Tuesday, Dec. 11, District One staff of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a public information meeting on proposed improvements to, and between, the U.S. 41 intersections with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Myrtle Street in the city of Sarasota, FDOT has announced.
The distance between the two intersections is about 0.52 miles, an FDOT website notes.
District One staff has been evaluating the construction of roundabouts at the two signalized intersections, the FDOT project website explains. The Department also is developing alternatives for bicycle/pedestrian access along U.S. 41, the website notes. “The intersection improvements will complement those planned for other intersections along US 41 to improve traffic flow throughout the corridor, including operational performance at the intersections, as intersections work best in a series,” the website adds.
The City of Sarasota has been working with FDOT for years on the construction of roundabouts at a number of intersections on the U.S. 41 corridor. Such construction already is underway at 10th and 14th streets. Another roundabout is planned at Fruitville Road.
Funding for the design phase of the project involving the Myrtle Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way intersections is set aside for the 2021 fiscal year in FDOT’s Adopted Five-Year Work Program. However, money has not been allocated for right of way acquisition or construction, the FDOT website says.
The Dec. 11 session will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, which is located at 1845 34th St. in Sarasota. The format will be an open house, the release notes, with a video presentation shown continuously. No formal presentation will be provided, the release adds.
Notices about the meeting are being sent to all property owners and tenants located within at least 300 feet on either side of the proposed road alignment, as well as to public officials, regulatory agencies, organizations and individuals interested in the project, the release points out. “The meeting is being conducted to give interested persons an opportunity to express their views concerning the location, conceptual design, and social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed improvements to and between the intersections of US 41 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Myrtle Street in the City of Sarasota,” the release says.
“This meeting is being held as part of a current Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study that is being conducted to evaluate and document the engineering and environmental issues associated with the proposed improvements along US 41 and at the intersections of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Myrtle Street,” the release points out. Then, based upon that analysis, an alternative will be chosen, the release says. “The purpose of this project is to enhance safety, non-motorized connectivity, and access, as well as vehicular traffic flow and operations, between residences and schools of the northern Downtown Sarasota area and the Bayfront area,” the release adds.
FDOT solicits public participation without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact David C. Turley, FDOT project manager, at 863-519‐2255 or by e‐mail at David.Turley@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the hearing, the release notes.
Anyone with questions about the project or the public meeting, may contact Turley or visit the project website at www.swflroads.com/us41/atmyrtlestreet&mlkjrway.