City promotes downtown detours

APRIL FOOLS —

Downtown motorists trying to navigate around construction projects at Ringling Boulevard and Palm Avenue and Ringling Boulevard and Pineapple Avenue now have a variety of new detours to help them navigate downtown easily, especially during weekend events that contain multiple street closures.

To help motorists from avoiding making several U-turns, the city of Sarasota is recommending the following detours to navigate through a variety of street closures:

• Motorists coming from the south on U.S. 41 will be directed to turn right on Orange Avenue, make a right on Oak Street, make a left on Ohio Place, make a right on Laurel Street, make a left on Julia Place, make a left on Morrill Street, make a right on Pine Place, make a left on Main Street and make a left on Orange Avenue and park either in the Burns Square parking lot, State Street parking lot or the nearby Second Street parking lot.

• Those coming from the north on U.S. 41 will be directed to make a left on Fruitville Road, make a right on U.S. 301, make a right onto Hillview Avenue, make a right onto Orange Avenue, make a left on Mound Street and make a right on Main Street.

• Those coming from the barrier islands and driving over the Ringling Bridge will be directed to make a left on U.S. 41, make a right on Fruitville Road, make a left on Cocoanut Avenue, make a right on Sixth Street, make a right on North Lemon Avenue, make a right on Main Street, make a right on Palm Avenue and make a right into the Palm Avenue parking garage.

The goal of the new detours is to improve traffic flow through downtown and create less stress for everyone involved. Although city officials understand the detours add additional miles to each stop, Florida Department of Transportation officials say the detours keep a constant flow of traffic and also help drivers adjust to slower, more constant rates of traffic that will likely come when two more roundabouts on Ringling Boulevard are finished.

Eight lighted detour signs at a cost of $35,000 each are being funded primarily through federal grant money.

“We’re sensitive to traffic congestion and delays,” said one city official. “That’s why several project managers are working together to coordinate the timing of construction and traffic flow as best we can.”

Click here to view a graphic of the Downtown Driving Detours