Lorraine Road extension to help I-75 traffic

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota County is extending Lorraine Road to Knights Trail Road in Nokomis. According to Sarasota County Public Works Director Spencer Anderson, the biggest goal is to alleviate traffic on Interstate 75.

“Right now, everyone is using the interstate as a local road, and it’s not really what the interstate system is supposed to be. So we’d like, we need to do a better job of providing alternatives to the interstate and working with the DOT. They certainly acknowledge the fact that there’s severe congestion between state road 681 and the Manatee River to the north,” said Anderson.

The extension is almost eight miles long including multiple different segments and developers. Homebuilder Taylor Morrison is currently developing Skye Ranch in the first segment near Clark Road. In the next segment, Neal Communities will be bringing in more homes during their development. Next Home Excellence Realtor Derek Patti said it’s good news for the housing market.

“The big word right now, I think, In real estate is affordability. One of the factors in that is going to be inventory. Supply and demand. If we see the inventory rise typically we’ll see you know, prices come down because there’s more to choose from for buyers that are coming to the area, and there’s more competition overall for sellers,” said Patti.

According to Anderson, the extension has plans for schools and commercial areas. Patti explained some people look at development as a bad thing, but in this case, it’s helping the area with the increased growth.

“Our area’s not a secret anymore. People are going to come here. They’re coming here on a daily basis just for the same reason you and I probably both came here. We’re sticking around and not planning on going anywhere,” explained Patti.

Right now there is a gap between Fruitville Road and Palmer Boulevard before Lorraine extends down toward Knights Trail Road. Anderson said the gap will be connected during this extension. The project is supposed to be completely finished in 2028.

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