SR 72 from east of I-75 to Lorraine Road is currently a two-lane undivided roadway with intermittent right-turn and left-turn lanes. This segment of SR 72 is classified as an urban minor arterial and plays an important role in the transportation network as it facilitates east-west movement within Sarasota County for both local and regional traffic including truck traffic.

This PD&E study will evaluate and document the engineering and environmental effects of proposed improvements needed to relieve existing traffic congestion along the project corridor and accommodate future travel demand from projected population and employment growth in the area. Improvements may include widening to a four-lane divided roadway as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations such as a shared-use path. FDOT is conducting this PD&E study in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other federal and state laws and regulations.

Need for the Project

The need for the project is based on the following:

• Future population and traffic growth
• Existing evacuation and route capacity
• Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) top 10 non-motorized crash corridor
• Lack of pedestrian and bicycle facilities

Project Funding

The PD&E Study phase has been funded in fiscal year 2022 under financial project identification number 444634-1-22-01. Design, Right-Of-Way, and Construction phases are currently not funded in the FDOT's Five-Year Work Program or the Sarasota/Manatee MPO's 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

FDOT held a public hearing for this project online (through GoTo Webinar) and in-person (Covenant Mennonite Fellowship, 5420 Ashton Road, Sarasota, FL 34233) on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Materials were also available for review and comment below from June 19, 2025, and comments for the hearing were accepted in multiple ways through July 9, 2025. To view what was presented at the hearing, see the Project Documents section below.