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The widening of U.S. 41 Bypass through Venice and the building of a Jacaranda connector road dominated discussions at a joint Venice City Council and Sarasota County Commission meeting Wednesday.
While the city found unanimous county support for its selection of an easternmost route to connect Laurel Road to Jacaranda Boulevard, the $80 million widening of U.S. 41 to six lanes through South County — decades in planning — brought dissension and a terse exchange of words between elected officials.
"Times have changed," said County Commissioner Joe Barbetta, who also sits on the 15-member Metropolitan Planning Organization, which votes in two weeks on widening the southernmost portion of the bypass.
"In this day and age, you don't widen roads in an urban area. It seems we are looking at an antiquated process here."
Venice Mayor John Holic objected to what city officials see as a sudden change in plans for the county-owned portion of U.S. 41. Until last year, the 2.5 miles between Bird Bay Drive and Center Road were to be expanded to six lanes, in three stages.
"If you drive that road you'd know why it needs to be six lanes," Holic said. "It's not just impossible, it's impassable. We cannot continue to disregard the population to the south and in Venice."
For the full article, visit the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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