Longboat Key officials not happy about planned roundabout

The Florida Department of Transportation’s Barrier Island Traffic Study is more than half-completed, but Longboat Key officials told their Sarasota County counterparts in a joint meeting last week they remain concerned about the level of excitement heading into the implementation phase.

Though the study should be completed by spring, Commissioner Jack Daly, who serves on the board of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Commission and is on the steering committee of the Barrier Traffic Study, said he is not pleased with the pace at which the study’s findings are being converted into proposals. 

In a letter to FDOT District 1 Secretary L. K. Nandam, Daly noted the areas’s high-traffic season will be here before the next meeting to discuss study findings, and time is running out to implement some of the easier  ideas.

“I am not seeing the enthusiasm like we saw from last year,” Daly said. A meeting is being set up between Daly, Nandam and Town Manager Tom Harmer.

The study was launched in 2017 with a review of previous studies and data collection. The third phase, which is yet to be completed, involved coalescing the findings and 71 draft proposals into a transportation plan for the region. Town officials said during their joint meeting with county commissioners they would like to see pedestrian control officers at St. Armands Circle crosswalks during the season as a means to stop backups from happening. Other recommendations:

n Removal of previously identified parking spaces along the western part of St. Armands Circle going toward Lido Beach. Timing of the removal could occur with the opening of Sarasota’s pay-to-park garage set to open before the end of the year.

n Implement a pedestrian management program on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach near the Longboat’s northern end. 

n Start a seasonal peak traffic parking and pedestrian management program at Coquina Beach and Bradenton Beach access points to assist with the ingress and egress and traffic flow congestion along the north part of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

n Add an additional, flexible lane on all future bridge replacement projects and improvements made to adjacent intersections. FDOT is moving forward with a plan to replace the Cortez Bridge with a fixed span design.

Though Longboat leaders acknowledge a circle at Gulfstream and U.S. 41 is in the pipeline, last month they approved a private peer review.

“We’re all going to have to take a chill pill,” said Sarasota County Commission Chair Nancy Detert during the Oct. 24 meeting between the town commissioners and the county, acknowledging a new administration is coming after the gubernatorial election.

The Florida Department of Transportation’s Barrier Island Traffic Study is more than half-completed, but Longboat Key officials told their Sarasota County counterparts in a joint meeting last week they remain concerned about the level of excitement heading into the implementation phase. 

Though the study should be completed in the spring, Commissioner Jack Daly, who serves on the board of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Commission and is on the steering committee of the Barrier Traffic Study, said he is not pleased with how the study's findings are being converted into proposals. In a letter to FDOT District 1 Secretary, L. K. Nandam, Daly noted the areas's high-traffic season will be here before the next planned meeting to discuss study findings, and time is running out to implement some of the easier to do ideas.

“I am not seeing the enthusiasm like we saw from last year,” Daly said. A meeting is being set up between Daly, Nandam and town manager Tom Harmer.

The study was launched in 2017 with a review of previous studies and data collection. The third phase, which is yet to be completed, involved coalescing the findings and 71 draft proposals into a transportation plan for the region.  Town officials said during their joint meeting with county commissioners they would like to see pedestrian control officers at St. Armands Circle crosswalks during the season as a means to stop backups from happening. The officers would be posted at crosswalks and have the authority to stop traffic when a group of pedestrians has gathered to cross, rather than the current system in which pedestrians, sometimes solo, can stop traffic by simply stepping into a crosswalk.

Other recommendations in the traffic study that the town would like to see advanced include:

• Removal of previously identified parking spaces along the western part of St. Armands Circle going toward Lido Beach. Timing of the removal could occur with the opening of Sarasota's pay-to-park garage under construction and set to open before the end of the year. 
• Implement a pedestrian management program on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach near the Longboat's northern end. Like in St. Armands, frequent pedestrian crossings back up vehicular traffic. 
• Start a seasonal peak traffic parking and pedestrian management program at Coquina Beach and Bradenton Beach access points to assist with the ingress and egress and traffic flow congestion along the north part of Gulf of Mexico Drive.
• An additional, flexible lane on all future bridge replacement projects and improvements made to adjacent intersections. FDOT is moving forward with a plan to replace the Cortez Bridge with a fixed span design that would eliminate drawbridge opening delays.
• Though not simple or inexpensive, Longboat leaders support elevated, above-grade pedestrian crossings at key intersections such as on the U.S. 41 corridor from Ringling Boulevard to Fruitville Road instead of on-demand crosswalks that stop traffic at the push of a button.

Though Longboat leaders acknowledge a circle at Gulfstream and U.S. 41 is in the pipeline, they last month approved a private peer review of the data supporting its approval. 

“We’re all going to have to take a chill pill,” said County Commission Chairperson Nancy Detert during an Oct. 24 meeting between the town commissioners and the county, acknowledging a new administration is coming after the  election for governor is complete.