Expect road, sidewalk closures on Longboat Key

A 1.5-mile stretch of Longboat Key’s main road will have nightly effects with the installation of a gas line beginning Wednesday. 

According to a news release from the town of Longboat Key, a dredging project scheduled to take place in Sarasota Bay by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will intersect with an existing gas main that serves Longboat Key. To prevent disruptions to resident gas supply, gas company TECO has begun the process of installing a new gas main on the island. 

That work will cause sidewalk closures from the New Pass drawbridge to Longboat Club Road, about a 1.5-mile segment. Construction company Mears will schedule work nightly from Dec. 3-20 and then again from Jan. 5-31.

“The majority of work will occur at the southern end of Gulf of Mexico Drive on the northbound right-of-way, with temporary traffic shifts in effect nightly from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to ensure public and worker safety,” a town press release describes.

The gas line project will begin as the Country Club Shores turn lane project wraps up, expected to be complete by the end of the month.