Any driver who has sat through rush hour traffic on one of Sarasota County’s major thoroughfares has experienced the problem firsthand.
As new real estate development has boomed in recent years, improvements to county roads have not kept up with all of those extra drivers. On roads like Fruitville, Tamiami Trail and Honore Avenue, an influx of added traffic has become a major headache for longtime residents, with no clear fix in sight.
During a special county commission workshop, staff planners on Wednesday outlined nearly $2.3 billion in transportation infrastructure needs over the next 13 years. But with only $573 million in projected revenue to pay for it, Sarasota County now faces a $1.7 billion shortfall to address the ongoing traffic and road safety woes…