Are we there yet?
The Island Transportation Planning Organization discussed the timing of a potential expansion of a Gulf Drive “complete streets” study and crosswalk construction on the island’s main north-south thoroughfare at a Jan. 10 meeting at Holmes Beach City Hall.
The ITPO voting members are the mayors of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, and one member rotates with a vote on the board of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Organization.
Meetings also are attended by MPO and Florida Department of Transportation liaisons.
The chair of the ITPO, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, currently represents the island on the MPO and meetings include a review of the MPO upcoming agenda.
A complete streets study of Gulf Drive from the Longboat Pass Bridge to 27th Street North is programmed in the DOT draft tentative work program for 2025, though the $1.25 million initiative could be conducted sooner.
The study will identify roadway improvements with the potential to make Gulf Drive more efficient, safe and accessible.
Improvements may include the installation of sidewalks, bike lanes and roundabouts.
At previous ITPO meetings, DOT representatives indicated the study’s boundaries could be lengthened to include Gulf Drive as far north as Pine Avenue in Anna Maria.
At the Jan. 10 meeting, Titsworth asked DOT community liaison Tanya Merkle when the agency would decide on expanding the analysis.
Merkle said she was unsure.
The analysis in its current form is one of the MPO’s top project priorities for 2022, according to a recent draft document.
Holmes Beach roundabout studies and a complete streets analysis for a stretch of Gulf Drive north of 27th Street North and Palm Drive are listed separately on the document as lesser priorities and are not currently funded.
Titsworth said Holmes Beach traffic engineer Sage Kamiya is drafting proposals to widen sidewalks and add bike lanes to portions of Gulf Drive in preparation for a March meeting with Manatee County officials to seek tourist development tax funds that could be used for the project.
Look both ways
In mid-May, the DOT will accept bids for a crosswalk construction project on Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key north from Longboat Club Road and on Gulf Drive north to Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach, Merkle said.
She told The Islander Jan. 12 the contractor would likely be selected within three months, barring any complications with the bidding process.
The anticipated construction duration is 450 days and contractors typically begin work about a month after they are selected by the agency.
At the meeting, Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie inquired where the contractor would begin work.
Since the contractor has yet to be selected, Merkle said, she was unsure if work would begin on Longboat Key or the island.
Contractors make decisions about where work begins, not the DOT, she said.
Chappie and Titsworth encouraged the DOT to ensure work was done during the summer or fall when the island is less congested.