Taming U.S. 41: City, residents discuss roadway changes

Cutting through downtown Sarasota along the bayfront, U.S. 41 is a vital artery in the regional road network.

It alternates between four and six lanes, allowing drivers to bypass the dense urban core at 40 mph (if they happen to be following the speed limit). Its intersection with Gulfstream Avenue connects the mainland to the barrier islands of Bird Key, St. Armands Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key.

As development continues west of U.S. 41, city officials face a challenging question: Can the state highway be tamed? Can the city reshape U.S. 41 as a pedestrian-friendly urban thoroughfare, designed in a way that doesn’t privilege drivers over walkers?

City Manager Tom Barwin thinks it’s crucial for making Sarasota a more livable city.

“Highly desirable, high-quality, vibrant urban communities — if they have one thing in common, it’s that they’re pedestrian friendly,” Barwin said.

But some people on the barrier islands are asking another question: Should the city radically redesign U.S. 41 for the benefit of pedestrians if it comes at the expense of moving cars effectively?

Road warriors

On Monday, at a meeting at City Hall, the tensions between the competing interests — vehicles versus pedestrians — were on display. A group of Bird Key, St. Armands and Lido residents met with city administration to discuss the future of U.S. 41 between Gulfstream and Fruitville Road.

Two Bird Key residents, Lou Costa and Lou Dorff, encouraged the city to take an approach that acknowledged the significance of the U.S. 41-Gulfstream intersection as a link for people driving to and from the mainland. They pitched an idea they thought would help more cars move through the intersection, which would relieve the intense congestion that takes place during peak hours in high season.

If officials added a third left turn lane from eastbound Gulfstream onto northbound U.S. 41, Costa and Dorff believed the flow of traffic off the islands would improve significantly. To accommodate the change, the state would have to add a third northbound lane.

The barrier island residents recognized the city’s interest in making the road more pedestrian friendly, and advocated for a compromise solution that could achieve both goals. By adding a signalized pedestrian crosswalk at U.S. 41 and First Street, the city could give people another convenient opportunity to get across the highway. In conjunction with a decorative median barrier, it could also discourage jaywalking, which slows traffic.

“I feel like we have real potential for a solution that’s going to be a win-win for everyone,” Costa said.

But Barwin was skeptical of the benefits. He said adding room for more cars on U.S. 41 would endanger pedestrians, and expecting drivers to effectively navigate the new traffic set-up would be dicey.

“We don’t want people staying at the Westin and Embassy Suites to be so intimidated with the size of the freeway that they’re adamant they have to get in their car to get around downtown Sarasota,” Barwin said.

He said the city is already taking steps to improve the traffic flow on U.S. 41. FDOT agreed to install a permanent right-turn slip-lane from northbound U.S. 41 onto eastbound Fruitville. The state also agreed to install a median extending from Fruitville to Gulfstream, preventing cars from slowing traffic by making left turns or U-turns.

He also argued the congestion issues are limited to a relatively small window during the year.

“All of this angst is understandable, but it really amounts to about 5% of the time,” Barwin said. “You don’t, I think, dramatically change the character of an urbanized downtown and create really irresponsible pedestrian safety risks for 5% of the time.”

Island residents bristled at the city manager’s response, arguing in-season traffic is a serious detriment to their quality of life.

“I didn’t move here to sit in traffic or calculate when I should leave my house to go shopping or go to the doctor,” said Roseanne Roble, president of the Bird Key Homeowners Association.

“All of this angst is understandable, but it really amounts to about 5% of the time.” — Tom Barwin

By contrast, mainland bayfront residents backed Barwin’s call for a more pedestrian-focused U.S. 41.

“We walk that all the time, and it’s scary,” said Paul Tschirhart, a resident of the Le Chateau condominium.

Those in attendance at Monday’s meeting — more than 30 in total, between residents and city staff — walked away with a tentative sense of compromise. For now, the city will pursue and study its planned pedestrian-focused improvements to U.S. 41.

If those improvements don’t yield benefits for drivers, though, the city will revisit the idea of adding a third left-turn lane on Gulfstream, if only on a trial basis. Costa suggested one metric that should trigger alarm for the city: traffic congestion that backs up into St. Armands Circle.

State of disarray

There is another wrinkle complicating matters, though. U.S. 41, Gulfsream and Fruitville all fall under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation. Barwin said the state agency has historically been reluctant to design pedestrian-friendly roads.

He became more alarmed within the past 30 days, when he learned the state wasn’t undertaking the improvements to U.S. 41 city staff expected. The median on U.S. 41 has been reduced from 8 or 9 feet wide to 3 or 4 feet, Barwin said. This is concerning because pedestrians often cross the street between Fruitville and Gulfstream, using the median as a refuge as they make it halfway.

The state also removed a pedestrian crosswalk on the south side of the intersection at U.S. 41 and Fruitville. He said it appeared the state was designing the road to add a third northbound lane on U.S. 41.

“That is not wise,” Barwin said. “It’s very dangerous, and it is contrary to what the city agreed to with FDOT.”

“We think it represents an extremely hazardous and dnagerous situation, and it’s not acceptable.” — Tom Barwin

Costa, however, remained optimistic that FDOT officials were willing to accommodate the city’s interests — albeit perhaps with a greater focus on vehicular traffic.

The city is still talking with FDOT officials to determine what, exactly, U.S. 41 will end up looking like. Traffic may be a top issue in the mind of some residents, but city leadership intends to keep pushing hard for a more walkable landscape.

“We are conveying to FDOT the reality of the increasing volume of pedestrian activity in that district,” Barwin said. “We have got to collaborate to bring the speeds down and enhance pedestrian safety.”