Firefighters approve of crosswalks

The final plans for six crosswalks on a 1.2-mile stretch of Midnight Pass north of Stickney Point Road don’t include the raised medians, which Sarasota County emergency staff thought would interfere with response times during traffic congestion.

The Florida Department of Transportation displayed project details last night during an open house at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, and five Sarasota County Fire Department staff members said they approve of the design. Fire Safety Inspector Richard Chapman said he heard the news from the fire marshal that morning, but attended the meeting to confirm that “pedestrian islands” were cut from the $190,000 project’s final design.

At least two Siesta Key residents came to request crosswalks further north on Midnight Pass Road, near the intersection where a drunk driver killed Donna Chen earlier this year. Parson Brinckerhoff Planning and Environment Manager Brian Bollas, who serves as public information liaison for FDOT, said the project was a “done deal” and construction would start Sept. 24.

For more information, pick up a copy of the Sept. 20 issue of the Pelican Press.