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County residents get their first chance tonight to weigh in on plans for express bus service, short-distance train service and other forms of “premium transit” planned for the region.
The public workshop on the Sarasota-Manatee Area Regional Transit Study, called SMART Connect, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Neel Performing Arts Center at the State College of Florida, 5840 26th St. W.
The workshop will present an overview of the study, which was conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Don Skelton, interim director of the department’s local district, said members of the SMART Connect team will lead discussions and question-and-answer sessions. The agency presented the plan to elected officials, community and business leaders last month.
The study is evaluating various options for extending transit service from the Sarasota/Manatee County line north to Bradenton and Palmetto, and from Sarasota Memorial Hospital south to Venice and North Port.
There will be two more forums, in North Port on Wednesday and in Sarasota at the Selby Library on Thursday. Both are from 4 to 7 p.m. and will cover the same information, planners said.
More information is available at the project’s website, www.SMARTConnectStudy.com.
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