Traffic flow to be maintained
On July 8, Sarasota County staff plans for a contractor to begin repairs on the southeast approach to the Tuttle Avenue bridge over Phillippi Creek, which was damaged during the “Invest 90L” flooding event on June 11 in Sarasota, staff has announced.
“Traffic has been maintained in both directions with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes,” a news release points out.
Gosalia Concrete Constructors Inc. of Tampa has been contracted to the make the repairs, the release adds. Plans call for traffic to be maintained with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes between Tanglewood Drive and Siesta Drive, the release says.
The repairs are expected to take up to 30 days, to “restore the area to pre-storm conditions,” the release points out.
“Drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians should reduce speed and use caution when travelling through the work area,” the release notes.
In a June 12 Sarasota County Government video, Spencer Anderson, director of the county’s Public Works Department, explained that the rainfall that began early in the evening of June 11 did not stop for about three hours in the northern part of the county, especially over the city of Sarasota.
Approximately 8 inches of rain fell, Anderson added. He likened the event to a 1,000-year storm, characterizing it as “very unusual.”
In that video, Anderson noted that the county road that suffered the most from flooding was Tuttle Avenue, between Clark Road and Siesta Drive.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office also reported on that situation, writing in a Facebook post that the sidewalk and retaining wall had collapsed between Tanglewood Drive and Valencia Drive.
A “Flash Report” that the county’s Emergency Services Department issued on the morning of June 12 included information, as well, in regard to the roads that had appeared to suffer the most damage from the flooding. “Swift Road/Tuttle Avenue just south of Siesta Drive is closed due to an apparent washout of the south bridge abutment over Phillippi Creek,” that report said.
Southbound drivers on Tuttle Avenue were being advised then to detour to Siesta Drive, while northbound motorists were being told to take Tanglewood Drive.