Sarasota moves forward with another I-75 project

Sarasota County officials are advancing plans to construct an overpass across Interstate 75 and hope the project can be earmarked for state or federal funding.

The bridge, once constructed, would connect Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in the east to Cattlemen Road in the west, providing a new east-west connector between University Parkway and Fruitville Road. Preliminary designs show the overpass would be located just north of the southern end of the lake at Nathan Benderson Park.

“It’s needed to provide relief to the University Parkway and Fruitville road interchanges and to help move traffic from the east and west,” said Paula Wiggins, the transportation planning manager for Sarasota County. “This is something our transportation models have indicated is needed for the operation of the transportation network. There’s very few alternatives that are available.”

The county will host a public workshop Nov. 15 on a change that adds the overpass to county planning documents.

Because of public opposition last year, Sarasota County has modified its original plan for the overpass, which would have connected Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Cattlemen Road and extended farther west to Honore Avenue. As now proposed, there will be no connection to Honore Avenue.

Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch is taking the project through the design and permitting process, per its approvals for its future Waterside project, formerly known as  the Villages of Lakewood Ranch South.

Overpass construction costs are estimated at $20.6 million.