Paving project begins Monday

The Sarasota County portion of a Gulf of Mexico Drive repaving project begins Monday night.

The project is slated to begin Monday, Oct. 4 after heavy rainfall from a stalled low-pressure system delayed the start of the project in August. Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Darren Alfonso said scheduling conflicts delayed the start of the project further.

Gulf of Mexico Drive will be resurfaced from the Sarasota-Manatee county line to New Pass Bridge.

The project, now expected to be complete in February 2011, involves removing old asphalt and resurfacing the road, shoulder work, curb and gutter modifications and the addition of new sidewalks, pavement markings and necessary highway signs.

There will be temporary lane closures and nighttime work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., Mondays through Fridays. At Longboat Club Road and Bay Isles Parkway, paving operations will be conducted between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Lane closures, according to informational signs, are only supposed to last until Jan. 17, 2011.

The Manatee County portion of Gulf of Mexico Drive was repaved last summer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].