Work halted last fall after Hurricane Helene
Resurfacing and milling operations on Siesta Key will resume on Monday, Jan. 13, Sarasota County staff announced this week.
In an Oct. 1, 2024 video, Carolyn Eastwood, director of the county’s Capital Projects Department, announced that staff was suspending the project to allow residents, business owners and county staff to focus on the island’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.
“We’ve completed about a third of the roads that we intended to resurface,” Eastwood reported in that approximately 41-second-long clip.
in a video posted on the county’s Facebook page on Jan. 8, Terra Ray, manager of the initiative for the Capital Projects Department, told Shelly Walters, communications specialist with Capital Projects, that 19 lane miles were finished before staff put the work on hold last fall.
The county’s Construction — One Week Look Ahead report for the period of Sept. 23 through Sept. 29, 2024 noted that the initiative’s completion had been anticipated in January 2025.
Subsequent to Eastwood’s announcement — on the night of Oct. 9, 2024 — Hurricane Milton came ashore on the island, wreaking additional damage.
The Jan. 8 county news release says that work will take place on local and residential roads first.
Construction notices were sent out to businesses and residents in May 2024, the county website notes. Milling and paving operations began on Aug. 7, 2024, the website adds.
Resurfacing will take place Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., not including holidays, county staff points out. The project is expected to be completed this summer.
The resurfacing of Beach Road, from the Midnight Pass intersection north, is scheduled to start after April 20, following the Easter holiday weekend, the Jan. 8 release points out; that work will take place at night, “to avoid peak tourist season and minimize impacts.”
Residents and business owners can learn more about the undertaking on the county website.
The project includes not only milling and paving and pavement stripping but also Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp modifications, curb repairs, roadway base repairs and school zone sign improvements, the Jan. 8 news release says.
“All motorists may expect some lane closures and should seek alternate routes whenever possible,” the release notes. “During construction, emergency vehicles will always have unrestricted access. Pedestrians and motorists should use caution while traveling through the area and expect some minor delays,” it adds.
During the week of Jan. 13, the county website points out, the following road segments are scheduled to be resurfaced: Commonwealth Drive,
Birdsong Lane, Dewy Place, Oakmont Place, Winding Way, Siesta Cove Drive, North View Drive, South View Drive and Siesta Court.
As the News Leader has reported, the County Commission on April 9, 2024 voted to award the $11.4-million Siesta resurfacing contract to Ajax Paving Industries of North Venice. The total lane-mile count would be 34.72, according to a county staff memo that was part of the April 9 agenda packet.
However, in the Jan. 8 video on the county’s Facebook page, Ray of Capital Projects reported that the total lane miles will be approximately 37.