Round and Round

Sarasota is on its way to becoming a roundabout city.   This is the second one constructed in downtown within the past couple of years.  It recently opened at Ringling Blvd. and Pineapple Ave.  -- and no one seems to be having any problems negotiating it.  Another roundabout will open just one block away later this week.   And, plans are in the works to construct two large roundabouts on U.S. 41 over the next few years.  So far so good!

Open for Business

This is what a brand new roundabout looks like!   The Five Points roundabout in downtown Sarasota opened for business yesterday --- 23 days ahead of schedule.  (Yes, ahead of schedule.)  I took a spin around it just before I took this picture and it's quite nice and easy to navigate, not to mention attractive with all those red brick pavers.  I have to give a shout out to Chip, a photographer with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, who I met at the roundabout and tipped me off to the location where I scored this bird's eye view.   Thanks!  Click here to see what the roundabout looked like under construction just a few weeks ago.

Round 'n Round

Sarasota is taking on a European flair with...roundabouts.  Several are in the planning stages and this one, under construction right in the heart of downtown, should be finished by Labor Day.  This area is known as Five Points, where three streets converge, creating a five pointed intersection.  Both as a motorist and a pedestrian, I've always found the traffic patterns here a bit confusing.  So, hopefully, the roundabout will make it easier for everyone to navigate.  Round 'n round we shall go!  Standby for photos of the finished product.