Downtown intersection to close for roundabout construction

On Nov. 27, the city will begin construction of another downtown roundabout, which will close the intersection of Orange Avenue and Ringling Boulevard for more than four months.

The city hopes to complete the project in May 2018. The project could be substantially complete and the roundabout operational by April, said Richard Winder, the city's coordinator of capital projects.

Detours will be available via State Street, Lemon Avenue and Pineapple Avenue, the city said in a release. Area businesses will remain open during construction.

Winder said the city did not wish to begin construction heading into season. Earlier this year, City Engineer Alex DavisShaw said the city hoped to begin the project in July and finish it in early November.

City staff said coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation complicated the timing. The roundabout construction is largely funded via an $881,000 FDOT grant, which required the project to begin before 2018.

“It’s basically use it or lose it,” Winder said.

In December 2016, the city approved $150,000 in public art funds to put Jorge Blanco’s sculpture “Bravo!” in the center of the roundabout at Orange and Ringling.