S.R. 70 expansion under consideration

As growth continues in the greater Lakewood Ranch area, the Florida Department of Transportation is exploring options for widening State Road 70 east of Lorraine Road.

FDOT will hold a public meeting Dec. 18 to show plans to the public and solicit input. FDOT’s basic plan is to widen State Road 70 from Lorraine Road east to Greenbrook Boulevard/Post Boulevard from four to six lanes. The section from Greenbrook Boulevard east to County Road 675 would be widened from two to four lanes. The road would have a 6-foot sidewalk both directions.

“This meeting will provide a great opportunity to speak with the engineers as they are designing the

project,” FDOT spokesman Brian Rick said. 

For the meeting, engineers and other FDOT staff will be on-site to answer questions and collect feedback from residents. Rick said resident input is considered as FDOT designs the road.

Keith Davey, who represents Community Development District 4 on Greenbrook’s Safety Committee, said safety improvements and widening of State Road 70 have come up regularly at meetings over the last few years. Residents are particularly worried about safety at the entrance and exit to Greenbrook East, across from Post Boulevard. A curve in the road and the speed of cars make the intersection dangerous.

“They’ve been asking for a light there for years,” Davey said. “Everybody I have talked to certainly is anxious to have some improvements on that road. The development has outpaced the roads. You’ve got all these houses going in, but you don’t have the roads to handle the volume.”

He said sidewalks along S.R. 70 also would provide residents with a safe way to walk or bicycle.

Rick said the project now is being designed and FDOT will consider roundabouts and other traffic control measures to improve safety at neighborhood entrances, particularly at the future Uihlein Road, the future Bourneside Boulevard, Del Webb Boulevard, Greenbrook Boulevard/Post Boulevard and Greenbrook Boulevard.

The project design phase is expected to last until winter 2020. Rick said construction is expected to start two years after all right of way is acquired, likely between June 2022 and June 2023.