Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/146256
Sarasota News Leader July 26, 2013 Page 89 Siesta Seen Prescott's department handles such exchanges for District 1," Harriott added, "and has been assigned by [District 1] Secretary [Billy] Hattaway to work with the County on this proposal." Based on the discussion, Harriott continued, state representatives "wanted to make it clear that any transfer of maintenance responsibility" would include the fact that project priority considerations for River Road would go through the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Furthermore, Harriott wrote, "based on their preliminary review of current conditions, the state sees River Road as two distinctly different segments. The northern segment from Interstate 75 to US 41 is regional in nature and provides connectivity within the State roadway network. In the state's opinion, the southern segment from US 41 to State Road 776 is primarily rural, with the southernmost section (Dearborn Street) being more locally oriented. The state objective is always to maintain a state highway network. Therefore, the segments for transfer would need to terminate at another state facility, which is the reason for including Dearborn Street in the exchange." A map shows part of State Road 758, including a section along Siesta Key. Image from Google Maps "All of these bridges would transfer to County for maintenance and operations responsibilities," Harriott noted. "In exchange for the southern section of River Road, from US 41 to State Road 776," HarriHe added that FDOT proposed trading the ott continued, "the State proposed to transfer northern section of River Road, from I-75 to State Road 758 (Bee Ridge Road) from US 41 U.S. 41, for State Road 758 from U.S. 41 to U.S. to just east of Interstate 75." 41 "(basically Siesta Key and the approaches)." This section of State Road 758 is com- That section varies between seven and four monly know as Stickney Point Road/Midnight lanes in width, he noted, and includes one Pass Road/Higel Avenue/Siesta Drive, Harri- fixed-span bridge. Although FDOT "does not ott wrote. The segment includes the Stickney see a rationale to transfer the southern secPoint Road and Siesta Drive bridges. tion of River Road (US 41 to State Road 776)