Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/341318
Every Thursday early evening, Bob McHale waits for his wife to return home from her "mahjong night" in Lakewood Ranch. And every Thursday, heading west on University Parkway, she gets stuck in traffic. "If she wins, it's a little better," said McHale, one of the residents who attended a work- s h o p h e l d b y t h e Florida Department o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n (FDOT) on Thursday, June 26. The meeting offered members of the public their first look at FDOT's proposed $60-million diverging diamond interchange at University Parkway and Interstate 75. McHale is not sure whether the bold plan will work. But he believes something has to be d o n e . " I t 's g e t t i n g worse — very quickly," added McHale, who l i v e s i n t h e Q u a i l R u n n e i g h b o r h o o d on Lockwood Ridge Road. The interchange of University Parkway and Interstate 75 is among those that garner significant complaints from drivers because of the amount of traffic. Photo by Roger Drouin A DIAMOND PLAN RESIDENTS ARE UNSURE WHETHER A BOLD INTERCHANGE PLAN FOR INTERSTATE 75 AND UNIVERSITY PARKWAY WILL WORK, BUT THEY SAY SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE, WITH TRAFFIC INTENSIFICATION ANTICIPATED Let's remember the one at University is the first one in the State of Florida. We are the guinea pig. Joe Barbetta Commissioner Sarasota County By Roger Drouin County Editor