Roundabout at 41 and Gulfstream expected to open Dec. 17

Although the entire project won't be completed until next spring, the long road to replacing the intersection at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue with a roundabout is expected to end next weekend.

By Andrew Warfield
| 9:00 a.m. December 8, 2022

Although traffic will begin using the entirety of the roundabout on Dec. 17, work will continue for months on the approaches from Main Street to Fruitville Road.

Sarasota
News

By next weekend, motorists can look forward to driving in the roundabout at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. Although the entire project won't be completed until next spring, changes in the traffic pattern are expected to put the circle itself into operation on Saturday, Dec. 17.

The Florida Department of Transportation had expected to finish all of the roadwork portion of the project close to Thanksgiving, but the aftermath of Hurricane Ian diverted manpower and materials toward recovery efforts, resulting in a delay.

By the end of next weekend, though, motorists will be able to traverse the roundabout while work on along U.S. 41 approaching and exiting the project area between Main Street and Fruitville Road will continue for several more months.

From Tuesday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 15, paving and other work on U.S. 41 between Main Street and Fruitville Road will occur nightly. Activities will include:

Excavation of roadway subgrade on U.S. 41 between Gulfstream Avenue and Fruitville Road.
Installation of light poles on U.S. 41 between Gulfstream Avenue and Fruitville Road.
Video inspection of installed drainage pipes and structures throughout the project.
Paving of recently completed roadway base areas on U.S. 41 between Main Street and Fruitville Road.

Motorists can expect lane closures, trucks and equipment entering and exiting the work zone. When complete, a new traffic pattern will put the Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41 intersection into the roundabout configuration, and the crossover patterns at Main Street and Sunset Drive will be removed.

The pattern switch will occur at night and consist of pavement marking removal, temporary barrier wall removal, temporary traffic separator removal, signage installation and adjustment, and signalization work. The work will require significant lane closures starting at 7 p.m., and motorists are advised to seek alternatives routes between 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, and 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.

author

Andrew Warfield

Andrew Warfield is the Sarasota Observer city reporter. He is a four-decade veteran of print media. A Florida native, he has spent most of his career in the Carolinas as a writer and editor, nearly a decade as co-founder and editor of a community newspaper in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.