Controlled chaos

UNIVERSITY PARKWAY — When Todd Mathes drove to work one day last week, there were three traffic-stoppers: a broken-down car on northbound Interstate 75 near University Parkway; an accident at Honore Avenue and University; and another accident at I-75 near Fruitville Road.

Mathes, director of development for Benderson Development, co-developer of The Mall at University Town Center, knows more traffic mayhem is coming as he, local officials and partners at mall co-developer Taubman Centers prepare for an estimated 100,000 shoppers on the mall’s opening day, Oct. 16.

Mathes pushes a 40-page transportation plan across the table; it’s battle-ready, although it could still be fine-tuned over the next week.

“It’s controlled chaos,” Mathes said. “The busiest time in the mall’s life is its grand opening.”

The plan in place — should drivers heed suggestions — should facilitate a best-case scenario for moving traffic to and from the mall’s 4,100 parking spaces on opening day and the three days thereafter.

Sarasota and Manatee County transportation officials, the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Transportation and local sheriff’s offices have jointly worked on the plan since their kickoff meeting this summer.

“I think it’s going to work great,” Mathes says of the plan. “The big question is how much traffic is diverted like we hope? I think we have a good plan to respond.”

Mathes says whether drivers take suggested alternative routes to the mall will have a significant impact on traffic along University Parkway and I-75, in particular.

Officials hope to direct northbound mall-bound vehicles from Fruitville Road to Cattlemen Road and from University Parkway to Honore Avenue and then Desoto Road, rather than drivers taking I-75 to the University Parkway exit. Suggested routes are listed on the mall’s website and also will be advertised in local newspapers. Signs strategically placed on nearby roadways in both Sarasota and Manatee counties also will suggest alternative routes.

“It’s educating the driver in advance of the mall opening and signage to remind them to take alternative routes,” Mathes said. “Our struggle is to get people to use those alternatives. People are creatures of habit.”

Sarasota County will spearhead efforts to educate the public on alternative route options, temporary vehicle and pedestrian restrictions and other pertinent information.

Mathes said Benderson and Taubman have invested close to $500,000 to help ensure traffic flows as smoothly as possible during the mall’s opening weekend. The cost includes the hiring of a traffic engineering consultant, off-duty law enforcement to direct traffic, security personnel, barricades and signage and the construction of a temporary 1,000-vehicle overflow parking lot, primarily intended for mall employees.

Sarasota and Manatee counties will have traffic engineers at Manatee’s Regional Traffic Management Center monitoring traffic remotely. A Benderson-hired traffic consultant also will be on-hand to assist, as will representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation.

The group will watch dozens of live video streams on a movie theater-style screen at the Regional Traffic Management Center, from which they can make adjustments as needed. Traffic engineers already have tested various traffic scenarios and created plans to adjust traffic signal timing, as needed.

“We know this is going to be a large-scale event and it’s going to have an impact,” said Paula Wiggins, transportation planning manager for Sarasota County. “You have people from other areas in the region who are going to the mall. We know there’s going to be cross travel from our local people. If you get everybody dumping onto University Parkway, it’s going to overload the system.”

The sheriff’s offices and Florida Highway Patrol will have on- and off-duty officers on-hand to respond to accidents and direct traffic, if necessary.

But, Mathes said, the goal is to use signal timing to control traffic flow, so deputies can respond to accidents and quickly resolve any traffic blockages.

Although officials have worked diligently to combat potential traffic problems, they say drivers should plan for congestion and be creative when choosing their routes.

“Plan extra time; be patient,” she said. “Be creative. This is the first mall we’ve had built in this part of the United States in many, many years. It’s going to be a big deal. We’re going to try to keep the traffic under control.”

+ The right direction
Directional signs will encourage drivers to take alternative routes to reduce the concentration of vehicles using University Parkway and the north end of Cattlemen Road.

Benderson Development’s director of development, Todd Mathes said the use of both static and temporary digital signs — more than 25 in total — will alert drivers to potential traffic conditions and communicate preferred routes: From the south, drivers should take Fruitville Road and head north on Cattlemen Road; from the west on University, drivers should head south on Honore Avenue and turn east on Desoto Road.

The new overhead digital signs on I-75 also will alert motorists if and when congestion occurs at either the University Parkway or Fruitville Road interchanges.

By the numbers
5,100 - available mall parking spaces

100,000 - shoppers daily opening weekend

45% - Organizers expect mall traffic to be 45% greater than standard shopping traffic.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].