FDOT provides registration link for those interested in participating
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will conduct a virtual public meeting from 5 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16, to provide information about the upcoming construction of a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue in downtown Sarasota, FDOT has announced.
The project will convert the existing signalized intersection to a roundabout “to improve non-motorized connectivity and access, as well as vehicular traffic flow and operations, between the City of Sarasota’s Downtown Central Business District (CBD) and the Bayfront area,” an FDOT news release says.
The project webpage also notes that the undertaking will include the installation of a HAWK pedestrian crossing signal system and raised pedestrian refuge islands; new sidewalks and pedestrian walkways; City of Sarasota utility and underground drainage structures and fiber optic replacements; and new LED streetlights. Further, stormwater retention ponds will be reconfigured.
FDOT explains that a “HAWK pedestrian crossing/beacon system is a high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon originally designed as a cost-effective option for protected pedestrian crossings at mid-block and un-signalized intersections. Unlike conventional pedestrian signals, the HAWK is only operational when activated by a pedestrian. The HAWK systems are being used with greater frequency for the additional safety they provide for pedestrians and for the versatility of use.”
FDOT also offers a video about how the systems work. To watch the video, click on this link.
Construction of the roundabout is planned to get underway in February 2021; completion is expected in the fall of 2022, the webpage adds.
Persons may register for the virtual public meeting by following this link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5509486051509451791
“After registering,” the release says, “you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.” Those who prefer just to listen to the webinar may call in and listen on one of the following numbers, the release adds: 1-213-929-4232 or, toll-free, 1-866-901-6455. Then a person should enter access code 671-872-151# to join the meeting on Dec. 16, the release explains.
“Comments and questions will be taken during the meeting, by email, through the project website, and by mail” through Jan. 6, 2021, the release points out. “All correspondence will be posted to the project website after this deadline,” the release says.
Additionally, all the materials about the project will be available for download from the FDOT website at www.swflroads.com/gulfstreamroundabout/, the release notes.
“If you do not have internet access and would like materials mailed to you, or if you require further information, please contact Alice Ramos at 941-217-7772 or e-mail her at Alice.Ramos@dot.state.fl.us,” the release adds.
For more information about the project, contact FDOT Construction Manager James Nichols at 941-708-4429, email him at James.Nichols@dot.state.fl.us or visit the project website at http://www.swflroads.com/gulfstreamroundabout/, the release says.