Myrtle Ave./Bradenton Rd. Traffic Temporarily Disrupted

As part of the Bradenton Road improvement project, traffic at the Myrtle Avenue/Bradenton Road intersection will be temporarily disrupted effective Wednesday, July 17 through Friday, July 19.  The eastbound lane on Myrtle Avenue adjacent to the intersection will be temporarily closed while utility crews prepare to relocate a water line. 

Drivers will not be able to approach the intersection while driving eastbound on Myrtle Avenue.  Likewise, motorists on northbound or southbound Bradenton Road will not be able to turn eastbound onto Myrtle Avenue. 

Although Bradenton Road from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to University Parkway will remain open during the improvement project, drivers are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes.

When the eastbound Myrtle Avenue lane reopens, utility crews will continue to relocate a water line along a 1.5 mile stretch of Bradenton Road, which will require nearby residents to be placed under a boil water advisory.  Residents will be notified via door hangers before the advisory goes into effect and once the advisory is lifted.  A total of approximately eleven boil water advisory notices are anticipated, along different portions of Bradenton Road, as the project moves forward.  The first advisory is expected to occur within the next two weeks.

As part of the improvement project, Old Bradenton Road will be reconfigured into a two lane divided roadway with a five foot raised median with landscaping and drip irrigation, roundabouts will be constructed at Myrtle Avenue as well as 47th Street.  The project will be pedestrian and bicycle friendly, with sidewalks and bicycle lanes added on both sides of the road.  Tree mitigation is planned along the right-of-way and will adhere to the City’s tree ordinance.  Also, four SCAT bus shelters will be added along Old Bradenton Road, which is a major route for SCAT.

The complex nature of this project revolves around the relocation of a multitude of utilities along the entire path.  City of Sarasota water and sewage lines will be moved as well as Verizon, Comcast and TECO Peoples Gas lines.  The City has met with all the parties involved and the expectation is for each utility company to have a coordinated plan and work closely with the other utilities to ensure the successful relocation of all these service lines.  Residents are asked to be patient during this project, which is expected to be completed in January 2014. 

Register to receive email updates on the project by visiting www.SarasotaGov.com.  Also, follow the progress on Twitter @CityofSarasota.

For more information about the Old Bradenton Road project contact William Nichols: 941-955-2325 ext. 6362.