Counties to update on Winchester, River Road & regional trail system
The Monday, January 26 meeting of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization will include the Charlotte County-Punta Gorda MPO. One item on the agenda is a discussion of the work on River Road and Winchester Boulevard, a key access artery for all of Cape Haze.
The report states that construction of River Road from US 41 to I-75 has an expected completion date in 2027. The design of South River Road and Winchester Boulevard is expected to be completed in July 2026, and right-of-way acquisition is underway. The price for the Regional Interstate Connector in Sarasota County is $70 million with additional $80 million estimated for construction of South River Road from US 41 to Winchester, and Winchester Blvd from South River Road to the County line.
Images from Sarasota-Manatee MPO and Charlotte County-Punta Gorda MPO.
The West Villages Improvement District is soliciting the design team, preparing project plans and permits through an agreement with Sarasota County. Some details from the fact sheet submitted before the meeting:
- Winchester Road will be widened in Sarasota County. The existing two lanes will be rehabilitated in place, and two new lanes will be constructed to the west, including a raised median. That cost is about $15 million.
- Plans are expected to be 90 percent completed by mid-December. The design is anticipated to be fully completed by mid-2026, with permit approval expected in the Fall of 2026. Construction is anticipated to begin winter of 2027.
- South River Road will feature a 12-foot-wide recreational trail along the east side from Winchester Blvd. to US 41.
One other topic is the bicycle trails. Three Charlotte projects received updated funding based on revised cost estimates.
They include trail at 776 from US 41 to Gillot, Cape Haze Pioneer Trail; a trail at 776 from Gillot West to Myakka State Forest and a pedestrian bridge at South Fork Alligator Creek. Design is programmed in FY 2025; construction funding is not currently programmed.
The meeting includes presentations by David Hutchinson, executive director, Sarasota/Manatee MPO and Lakshmi N. Gurram, director, Charlotte County-Punta Gorda MPO.
