SARASOTA — The barrier islands of Sarasota and Manatee County remain hamstrung, submerged with traffic, and are looking to the Coast Guard for help. Officials say 20 minutes between bridge openings isn't long enough to draw down road traffic, so they are reaching for yet another tweak to reduce the jam.
The Island Transportation Planning Organization petitioned the Metropolitan Planning Organization to request that the Coast Guard reduce the number of times island bridges open for boat traffic each day, and they want to keep it that way year round.
 |
The Sarasota Manatee MPO crafted Resolution No. 2015-03 proposing changes to drawbridge operations schedules in order to alleviate vehicular traffic congestion.
To the public, it means the wait won't be quite as long when trying to get to the beach; to the islanders, it's economics.
The roads serving the island communities of Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Siesta Key and the City of Venice are no longer seasonal in nature, but the wait getting to them is getting longer.
The resolution requests that the Coast Guard reduce the frequency of drawbridge openings by waiting 30 minutes between each cycle, instead of the current 20.
The Coast Guard is the only governmental body that makes decisions affecting inter-coastal waterways.
MPO members wanted to expand the number of bridges cited in the resolution by adding the Casey Key and Manasota Key bridges to it.
At Monday's meeting, MPO members voted 17-0 to pass Resolution 2015-03.
Comments
No comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.