Sarasota takes 'next step' on overpass

Sarasota County commissioners today moved forward with a first step toward approval of a new overpass across Interstate 75.

Commissioners unanimously voted to send a proposed alignment for a flyover between University Parkway and Fruitville Road to the state for review. The decision puts the overpass just north of a water tower on the east side of I-75, extending from Lakewood Ranch Boulevard west to Cattlemen Road, where it would connect just north of the southern end of the lake at Nathan Benderson Park.

“Over the last five or six years, there has been a significant amount of development that has occurred in the northeast section of the county,” said Sarasota County Transportation Planning Manager Paula Wiggins. “Our transportation models  have demonstrated there is a necessity for an east-west connection between University Parkway and Fruitville Road.”

The commission is expected to have another hearing in April to adopt the proposed alignment for the future roadway.

Sarasota County has no designated funding for the project, but having it on the map will make it shovel ready, as Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch is designing, engineering and permitting it. The county may be able to secure state or federal dollars for construction, Wiggins said.