GMD crosswalk construction begins this week

Four crosswalks are being installed on Gulf of Mexico Drive to make pedestrian crossings safer.

By Kurt Schultheis
| 6:00 a.m. November 11, 2015

Armando Linde and others support the construction of crosswalks on Gulf of Mexico Drive this month.

Longboat Key
News

Prepare to hit the brakes more than ever this season.

A Florida Department of Transportation contractor is beginning construction on flashing crosswalks for Gulf of Mexico Drive this month. Crosswalks will be operational by the end of 2015, weather-permitting.

On the north end, two crosswalks will be built at Companion Way and near Banyan Bay Club in the 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive to accommodate pedestrians north and south of the Centre Shops.

On the south end, crosswalks will be built near the Diplomat Condominium Beach Resort at 3175 Gulf of Mexico Drive and at the Country Club Shores beach access at Longboat Club Drive in the 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

The crosswalks will have push buttons for pedestrians to activate rectangular flashing lights to let motorists know when pedestrians are crossing.

Motorists should expect intermittent lane closures while crews are working.

The crosswalks came to fruition after Jo Schatterman, 73, of Elk Grove Village, Ill., was struck by an SUV and died the evening of Jan. 28, 2012.

Schatterman was returning to the Key at dusk from St. Armands Circle with her sister, Myra Sandler, when she crossed the southbound lane of traffic in the 2200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on her way back to her Islander Club condominium.

Man on the Street

"I am amazed we haven't had more tragic accidents. I see families with small children trying to cross all the time. This will make pedestrian crossings safer."

— Armando Linde

"It makes pedestrian crossings safer and I'm glad to hear they are being installed."

— Susan Alexander

"Gulf of Mexico Drive is extremely dangerous, especially at dusk. Having designated spots at the right locations is the right thing to do."

— Larry Grossman

"The crosswalks are long overdue. I can't count the number of times I've seen families and people have close calls or get stranded in the middle of the road trying to cross the road. It's not safe right now."

— Bob Gault

"I support them. But I wonder just how many people will use them the eight months out of the year when the seasonal population is gone."

— Gene Jaleski

That fatality prompted discussions between the town and FDOT for ways to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Enhanced lighting for Gulf of Mexico Drive is also labeled a top priority and will be included as part of a $25.25 million undergrounding utilities project voters approved last week.

Commissioners and residents also seek future additional crosswalk locations on Gulf of Mexico Drive in the future at General Harris Street near a popular Sleepy Lagoon beach access and in front of the former Hilton hotel.

FDOT determined that those locations do not need pedestrian crosswalks. But that hasn’t stopped residents and town officials from wanting something to protect pedestrians in those areas.

In an April 16 email to Mayor Jack Duncan, Sleepy Lagoon resident Rosemary Dilgard pleaded for the town to urge FDOT to reconsider a crosswalk location on Gulf of Mexico Drive at Wake Island Road.

Dilgard noted the location is where 30 public beach access parking spots sit. The spot also has a trolley stop and a school bus stop for area children.

Country Club Shores nears turning point

Country Club Shores residents yearning for a middle turn lane on Gulf of Mexico Drive for safer entry into their community got good news earlier this month.

Town Manager Dave Bullock informed commissioners at their Nov. 2 regular meeting that an interlocal agreement with Sarasota County will allows the town to transfer $65,000 in road tax funds originally slated for use for traffic improvements at Gulfstream and U.S. 41 in Sarasota toward the turn lane project on the Key.

The agreement means the county will now supply $65,000 to perform preliminary development designs and an environmental study for the turn lane. A timetable for construction of the turn lane hasn’t been set yet.

Commissioner Lynn Larson, a Country Club Shores resident, has pushed for the turn lane at the location for years, noting that it’s dangerous for motorists and residents to make a left hand turn into the community.

In an email to Country Club Shores residents Nov. 3, Larson exclaimed, “We got our turn lane!”

“This is the spot where many residents of Sleepy Lagoon, Hideaway Bay, Laguna, to mention a few areas, cross GMD in order to walk or sit on the beach as well,” Dilgard said in April. “It would be very foolish to wait for an accident or a fatality to happen. However, that seems to be one of the criteria for FDOT. Please help us get a crosswalk.”