FDOT construction on River Road may cause delays near Venice
Ongoing construction related to the Florida Department of Transportation’s $47.5 million widening of River Road between Interstate 75 and U.S. 41 will cause either lane closures, four-way stops or traffic pattern shifts between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4.
The lane closure is from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the East Venice Avenue intersection, according to a FDOT news release.
A Florida Highway Patrol officer will direct traffic, though FDOT urged motorists to consider alternative travel routes.
The four-way stops at River Road and East Venice Avenue are scheduled for 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Oct., 1, 2 and 3.
A traffic pattern shift is planned for 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., Oct. 4, at the intersections of River Road and Center Road.
Crews will begin striping both the north and southbound lanes of River Road.
During those striping operations, an FHP officer will be present at the Center Road intersection.
River Road is a key transportation connector for coastal south Sarasota County, Charlotte County, and the communities of North Port and Englewood, as well as a major hurricane evacuation transportation route.
The area, as well as the region’s political leaders, had been pushing for the road to be widened for more than three decades.
East Venice Avenue is the first controlled intersection along River Road, south of I-75, so options are limited. Those seeking to travel south from I-75 could exit at Jacaranda Boulevard and then take Jacaranda Boulevard south to Center Road and then head east to River Road, or continue south on Jacaranda to U.S. 41.