The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will conduct a public meeting regarding proposed changes to design plans for improvements to Interstate 75 (I-75) from south of Bee Ridge Road to south of Fruitville Road in Sarasota ...

 

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The Florida Department of Transportation, District One announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.

DATE AND TIME: Thursday, May 19, 2016, 5:00 p.m.

PLACE: Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, 2320 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, FL 34232

GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will conduct a public meeting regarding proposed changes to design plans for improvements to Interstate 75 (I-75) from south of Bee Ridge Road to south of Fruitville Road in Sarasota County. FDOT is holding this meeting on May 19, 2016 to allow interested persons the opportunity to provide comments concerning changes to the proposed design plans at the I-75/Bee Ridge Road interchange.

In December 2011, the Federal Highway Administration approved a preferred alternative from the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study of I-75 from south of SR 681 to north of University Parkway in Sarasota and Manatee counties. At the I-75/Bee Ridge Road interchange, the preferred alternative maintained the existing partial cloverleaf interchange but added turn lanes on the northbound and southbound I-75 off-ramps. FDOT will widen Bee Ridge Road from four to six lanes in each direction and will add turn lanes at the Bee Ridge Road/Cattlemen Road intersection.

During the design phase, traffic simulations indicated that the preferred alternative would result in excessive delay and queuing. To address this issue, FDOT developed a modified design proposal that includes reconstructing I-75 at the Bee Ridge Road interchange from the existing diamond configuration to a hybrid diverging diamond interchange (DDI) and a secondary southbound diversion ramp. FDOT would also rebuild the Bee Ridge Road/Cattlemen Road intersection to a continuous flow intersection (CFI). The hybrid DDI, southbound diversion ramp, and CFI work in conjunction to accommodate the traffic at the I-75/Bee Ridge Road interchange and the Bee Ridge Road/Cattlemen Road intersection, which are in very close proximity to each other. The proposed design plans continue to include widening of I-75 from south of Bee Ridge Road to south of Fruitville Road to a six-lane highway and widening of about one mile of Bee Ridge Road from west of Maxfield Drive to west of Mauna Loa Boulevard.

FDOT is holding this meeting to present project progress to date and to obtain comments on the revisions to the design plans made in response to comments heard at public meetings held in December 2015 and February 2016. FDOT representatives will be available at the public meeting beginning at 5 p.m. to answer questions, review proposed design plans and project-related materials that will be on display, and discuss the project informally. Attendees may come to this meeting at any time between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to review the proposed improvements. There will be no formal presentation at this meeting.

A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Kevin Ingle, Florida Department of Transportation, District One, [phone], [e-mail].

Additional information about the project can also be found on the project website: www.swflroads.com/i75/beeridgerdtofruitvillerd/.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 7 days before the workshop/meeting by contacting: Shelly Smith, Title VI Coordinator, Florida Department of Transportation, District One, 801 N. Broadway Avenue, MS-1-10 Bartow, FL 33830, [phone], [e-mail]. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).