ANNA MARIA – The city-owned portion of Gulf Drive will not be included in a corridor study conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
On May 25, the Anna Maria City Commission unanimously agreed to opt out of the state-funded study of the Gulf Drive corridor and its coinciding rights of way.
The city owns the portion of Gulf Drive located in Anna Maria. The state owns the portions of Gulf Drive/State Road 789 located in Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.
FDOT engineer/design manager Craig Fox introduced the study to Island officials during the May 8 Island Transportation Planning Organization (ITPO) meeting. During that meeting, it was noted that Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach requested and will participate in the FDOT study that’s scheduled to begin in August and be completed within two years at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.
The study will identify areas along Gulf Drive that could be improved in terms of safety and drainage. The improvements could include implementing complete street standards pertaining to sidewalks, multi-use trails, crosswalks and more.
Fox said the participating cities can use the completed study results to pursue state and federal funds to implement the street and right-of-way improvements identified in the study.
During the Anna Maria City Commission’s May 11 meeting, Mayor Dan Murphy briefed the commissioners on the proposed FDOT study and asked them to review the study document before making a decision on May 25.
Murphy noted the state, in the 1970s, turned over to the city the ownership of the portion of Gulf Drive located in Anna Maria. Since then, the city has maintained, studied and improved those rights of way and the city-owned street that extends from the Anna Maria/Holmes Beach border to the Coconut Avenue intersection.
During the May 25 meeting, Murphy noted the 46-page study document includes language pertaining to drainage and land acquisition. Murphy said he needed to provide FDOT with the commission’s decision by the end of the month.
Commissioner Robert Kingan said he didn’t see the need for the city to participate in the study of an area that’s already been subjected to extensive drainage engineering and improvements. He also noted the city is currently planning safety and drainage improvements along Pine Avenue and he doesn’t want the FDOT study to detract from those efforts. Kingan said the FDOT study could possibly be more detrimental than helpful.
Commission Chair Mark Short agreed and noted the study mentions drainage and complete streets. He pointed out that Gulf Drive gets wider when you enter Anna Maria and there’s already a wide multi-use trail alongside a portion of the city-owned road.
Short shared Kingan’s concerns that FDOT’s study recommendations may not be what’s right or best for the city.
“I’m not fond of this project either,” Short said.
Kingan made the motion to opt out of the study and the commission voted 4-0 in support of doing so, with Commissioner Deanie Sebring absent.
“I will notify FDOT tomorrow morning,” Murphy said.
