The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will conduct a public hearing 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 hearing on July 26, 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 representatives will be available at the public hearing beginning at 5 p.m. to answer questions, review proposed design plans and project-related materials on display, and discuss the project informally. The formal portion of the hearing will begin at 6 p.m. with a presentation by FDOT followed by an opportunity for attendees to make formal oral public comments. A court reporter will be available to receive comments in a one-on-one setting. FDOT will accept written comments at the hearing, mailed to Kevin Ingle, FDOT Project Manager, at 801 N. Broadway Ave, Bartow, FL 33830, or by email at kevin.ingle@dot.state.fl.us. All comments must be postmarked by August 5, 2016 to become part of the public hearing record. Draft project documents will be available for public review from June 30, 2016 to August 5, 2016 at the following locations and on the project website, www.swflroads.com/i75/beeridgerdtofruitvillerd. FDOT – District 1, 801 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL 33830, (863) 519-2740 Fruitville Public Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota, FL 34240, (941) 861-2500