Bird Key sidewalk closed for maintenance

A section of sidewalk on the John Ringling Causeway will be closed through January for a Florida Department of Transportation project to make minor maintenance repairs to the John Ringling Bridge.

From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, a portion of the northbound sidewalk on Bird Key will be on closed to pedestrians. The closed stretch of sidewalk will be used as a staging area so trucks and equipment can be parked close to the construction project, according to an FDOT representative. After 5 p.m. daily and on the weekends, the sidewalk will be open for use.

According to an email update from FDOT representative Albert Rosenstein to Sarasota engineers, crews are expected to complete the maintenance project by the end of January or beginning of February.

Pedestrians can cross at the signalized intersections at Bird Key Drive, on Bird Key, and Sunset Drive, in Sarasota, to the other side of John Ringling Causeway, where the sidewalk will remain open during the construction work.