Wider sidewalks, brick crosswalks, new trees and additional landscaping are just some of the visible enhancements awaiting those who visit an increasingly vibrant downtown Sarasota. The downtown improvement project was completed on time by Veterans Day as encouraged by the City Commission.
Crews also installed attractive new road signs this week. To cap off the project, new decorative globes will be added to pedestrian lightposts within the next couple of weeks.
“If you haven’t been downtown recently, I invite you to visit,” said City Manager Tom Barwin. “With the wider sidewalks, there’s even more space for outdoor cafes where people can sit and enjoy our special downtown. There’s also more room for pedestrians to stroll. Our community should be proud of these new enhancements.”
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Click here to see a YouTube video featuring before and after scenes.
Main Street was the primary focus of the project with improvements at various locations stretching from Gulfstream Avenue to Five Points and up to Goodrich Avenue. Enhancements included: installing brick paver sidewalks from Gulfstream Avenue to the Five Points roundabout, creating wider sidewalks with parallel parking on the north side of Main Street from Gulfstream Avenue to Five Points (angled parking remains on the south side of the street), planting additional landscaping, replacing pedestrian lightpoles, installing brick pavers at selected crosswalks, and adding trash receptacles, and benches.
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“We worked closely with our contractor, business owners and downtown residents to minimize the construction inconvenience as much as possible,” said Capital Projects Coordinator Richard Winder. “To install the new brick crosswalks at Main Street and Palm Avenue, we scheduled that intersection to be closed for 17 days. But our contractor, Jon F. Swift, completed the installation and reopened the road 12 days early. We’re very appreciative of their commitment to get the project done on time and do it well.”
The City collaborated with the Downtown Improvement District (DID) for the $1.8 million project, which started shortly after Independence Day.
“The Downtown Improvement District is a business improvement district, the focus of which is generating positive economic impacts,” said DID Operations Manager John Moran. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the DID’s latest project will not only do that, but it will also contribute to enhancing to the downtown experience of its residents and visitors.”
The project by the numbers:
5 New Bulb Outs
14 New Brick Crosswalks
36 New Trees
90,000-100,000 Bricks Installed
Enhancements in downtown Sarasota were originally identified more than a decade ago in the City’s Downtown Master Plan 2020. Then, in 2011, creating a more vibrant downtown became a high priority as a result of a seminar-conference meeting and reviewing the 2020 Plan.
For more information regarding the downtown improvements project contact Richard Winder: 941-365-2200 ext. 6302.
