TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Next Steps for Florida Department of Transportation Related to the Yorkshire / Raintree Interchange
Recommended Action
Discussion and possible direction.
Background Information
Since 2018, the Sarasota Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMMPO) and the Charlotte County Punta Gorda Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCPGMPO) have been working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) regarding a new interchange to aide evacuation and relieve congestion from the King’s Highway interchange.
• In October 2020, both MPOs adopted their 2045 Long Range Transportation Plans with the Yorkshire Rd./Raintree Blvd. interchange.
• In April 2022, FDOT completed a feasibility study for the interchange, laying out some following steps required to progress the project. The first step is to complete an Interchange Justification Report (IJR) to obtain approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) who oversees new interchange requests. The next step would be a Project Development and Environment Study to evaluation environmental impact mitigation and develop a preferred alternative for the interchange’s design.
• In November 2023, the City of North Port and Charlotte County passed and adopted a joint resolution (City Resolution No. 2022-R-69) to support the interchange and request FDOT to advance the concept, funding, and construction.
• In April 2024, FDOT hired a consultant, Stantec, to put together a memo laying out the next steps of the project. The memo highlighted several local road improvements that must be in place to support this interchange.
The City has submitted the Yorkshire-Raintree Interchange as a project priority through the MPO’s call for projects, which allocates state funds to the highest-ranking projects, every year since 2020.
The next major milestone to this project is the completion of the Interchange Justification Report (IJR). Sufficient traffic volume levels as well as supporting infrastructure must be demonstrated in the IJR to be successful in receiving project approval. FDOT and the MPO have recommended several improvements to the local road network be made to support the interchanges prior to completing the IJR. These local road improvements include:
• The connection/extension of Raintree Boulevard/Hillsborough Boulevard across the county line to connect to Veteran’s Highway (This is believed to be vital to aide evacuation and to generate sufficient traffic volumes for the project to be feasible)
• Extending Raintree Boulevard east, into DeSoto County, preferably connecting it to King’s Highway
• Widening Raintree Boulevard from two lanes to four lanes between Hillsborough Boulevard and Blueleaf Drive
• Widening Yorkshire Boulevard from two lanes to four lanes between Price Boulevard and Langlais Drive
• Signalization of Yorkshire Road and Raintree Boulevard intersections with Price Boulevard
Due to the significant cost of these projects and lack of any guarantee that the City’s efforts to complete these projects would be sufficient to receive approval of a new interchange, it has been recommended that the City pursue a private/public partnership to combine the development of Activity Center 6 with the construction of these local road improvements. The development would also help generate traffic volumes needed to receive approval of the interchange through the FHWA.
The City’s Economic Development division has remained in communication with the key property owners of the area to keep them informed on the progress of these interchanges and any potential partnership opportunities.
The Department of Public Works has established Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Yorkshire Raintree Interchanges, R23YRI, which is currently funded with $56,330 from Transportation Impact fees. Funding this CIP shows the City’s commitment to the project and is an effort to spur interest in coordinating agencies. When applicable, grants and other funding options will be explored for all possible phases of this project.
Strategic Plan
Good Governance
Financial Impact
Not applicable at this time.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Agenda Information from January 29, 2024, Joint MPO Meeting
2. Stantec Memo, April 16, 2024
3. Proposed Location Map
4. CIP R23YRI
Prepared by: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
Department Director: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager