The Sarasota Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization is moving forward with a $20 million project to improve pedestrian safety along a stretch of U.S. 41 known for crashes involving people walking and biking.

The project will focus on the section of U.S. 41 between Bay Drive and Cortez Road, addressing gaps in sidewalks and improving lighting conditions. According to the MPO, 35 percent of serious injuries in Manatee and Sarasota counties involve pedestrians or cyclists.

Ryan Brown, MPO Deputy Director, said at least a dozen people are injured or killed annually along that stretch. In the most recent year, there were 19 total bike or pedestrian crashes, including two fatalities.

The project has been under development for a decade and is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with completion expected by 2029. Brown stated the improvements aim to reduce conflict points, lower vehicle speeds, and address what he called a growing concern about roadway deaths.

Local residents and businesses have experienced the road’s dangers firsthand. Danny Williams, an advocate with the Sarasota Mobility Alliance, said his adult son was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run on a section lacking sidewalks. Amanda Mote, who has worked at a nearby restaurant for 10 years, said the business lost a regular customer in a fatal motorcycle crash on the road.

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