Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/348392
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will be erecting its first noise reduc- tion wall in Sarasota County on a stretch of Interstate 75 between the Fruitville Road and University Parkway interchanges, the County Commission has learned. And even though the board members are not pleased with the prospect, their only say in the mat- ter involved color and texture options. County Chief Engineer James K. Harriott Jr. pointed out during the commission's July 9 regular meeting that although FDOT staff had sent the county an email essentially ask- ing whether the board wants to proceed with construction of the 22-foot structure, "We did confirm that if your answer is 'No,' they're still proceeding with the sound wall." "We're getting used to that," Commissioner N o r a P a t t e r s o n r e p l i e d , r e f e r e n c - ing a discussion two weeks earlier when A map shows part of the area where the Florida Department of Transportation plans to build a sound barrier wall along Interstate 75 in Sarasota County. Image courtesy Sarasota County LITTLE SAY IN THE MATTER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS EXPRESS DISDAIN FOR STATE PLANS FOR A 22-FOOT WALL TO MITIGATE NOISE ALONG PART OF A PLANNED SEGMENT OF INTERSTATE 75 If there is a sound impact, FDOT and [other state departments of transportation] are required nationwide to mitigate [it]. James K. Harriott Jr. Chief Engineer Sarasota County By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor