Some people aren’t happy with the recent backups of traffic on Anna Maria Island.
And many people are pointing the finger at construction in Holmes Beach.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said Nov. 10 he had received several “hate phone calls” asking him to act on the traffic caused by Holmes Beach’s city center improvement project.
The project involves adding bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and landscaping from the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives to the 5600 block of Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.
The job requires a detour on Gulf Drive or Holmes Boulevard through a four-way stop at the intersection, impacting traffic flow previously set by a traffic light at Gulf and Marina drives.
The city hired Sarasota-based C-Squared to complete the work for $3,001,460.85, after factoring in a pair of addendums approved by the city commission.
The work is projected to wrap at the end of December.
Murphy said he offered suggestions to improve traffic to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth but had not received a response as of Nov. 10.
“I think I’ve taken just about as much action as I can on this issue,” Murphy said. “I don’t have a lot of influence in what’s being done down there.”
AM Commissioner Deanie Sebring said she was planning to attend Holmes Beach’s Nov. 15 city commission meeting to voice her dissatisfaction with the traffic caused by the construction and its impact on Anna Maria. She encouraged others to attend.
“I think it’s important for us to voice our opinion,” Sebring said. “Everyone is affected by this.”
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander Nov. 11 the city studied options for the detour, such as posting an officer at the intersection to guide traffic, and found the four-way stop to be the most efficient of the alternatives, including a traffic signal at Gulf Drive and Holmes Boulevard.
He admitted construction created traffic obstacles but said there was nothing the city could do until construction was complete, regardless of complaints.
Tokajer added the city has seen an increase in motorists, from around 19,000 vehicles per day three months ago to 25,400 per day over the past week.
He said the additional motorists exacerbated the issue.
“Until we get the roadway fixed, we’re going to have slowdowns,” Tokajer said. “People just need to be patient and understand that, unfortunately, unless we build a bridge from Holmes Beach to Anna Maria, we’re not going to be able to get people there any quicker than we are now.”