Letters to the editor

Time for a four-lane road on Siesta Key

I am a snowbird from Wisconsin and visit Florida regularly every winter. I love the place.

I stay on both Marco Island and on Siesta Key.

Four years ago, Marco Island was plagued by horrendous traffic problems similar to what all of us experience on Midnight Pass Road daily during the high point of the tourist seasons.

What did Marco Island do about it?

They expanded the main road on the island to a four-lane boulevard.

Guess what? Traffic is no longer a problem; people can bike safely, and pedestrians are no longer at risk.

Siesta Key is about to face a major expansion of traffic due to a large hotel complex that will be built at the junction of Tamiami Trail and Clark Road. If the residents of Siesta Key think they’ve got problems now with traffic, just wait!

Isn’t it time for Sarasota County officials to move ahead with a similar expansion of Midnight Pass Road to four lanes and create a safe boulevard?

That four-lane boulevard could begin at the junction of Midnight Pass Road and Clark Road and continue until the bifurcation of the road just north of the public beach.

There’s plenty of room to expand to the east because no buildings front the road itself.

This requires some sensible planning and collective wisdom to get it done.

It will not only reduce traffic problems, but also avoid potential accidents for pedestrians and bikers; and of course reduce stress for the residents and the tourists from the north.

I keep my fingers crossed that the powers that be will recognize a problem that needs resolution; and the sooner the better!

Dan Steininger

Siesta Key