State Road 758 (SR 758) and County Road 758 (CR 758) are together an 11.2-mile-long (18.0 km) state road in Sarasota, Florida, United States. It runs from Siesta Key north and east to Sarasota, where it continues east through Bee Ridge. Its eastern terminus is at Interstate 75 (SR 93) where it continues east as a county road with no designation.[3] The full route was previously SR 758.
  State Road 758 and County Road 758 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 758 in red, CR 758 in blue | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by FDOT and Sarasota County Public Works | ||||
| Length | 11.2 mi[1][2] (18.0 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  CR 72 in Siesta Key | |||
 US 41 in Sarasota | ||||
| East end |  I-75 near Bee Ridge | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Florida | |||
| County | Sarasota | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
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County Road 758
editCR 758 begins at an intersection with the western terminus of SR 72 in Siesta Key, heading northwest on Midnight Pass Road, a two-lane divided highway. The median becomes a center left-turn lane as the road heads through resort residential and commercial areas a short distance to the east of the Gulf of Mexico. SR 758 turns north to remain on Midnight Pass Road, with CR 789A (Beach Road) heading west to Siesta Beach. Midnight Pass Road continues as a two-lane undivided road passing through residential neighborhoods, curving to the northwest. SR 758 intersects CR 789A again and turns north onto Higel Avenue, passing more homes in the northern part of Siesta Key. The state road turns east onto Siesta Drive, running through more residential areas.
The road crosses Roberts Bay on a drawbridge and heads into Sarasota, lined with more residences. SR 758 turns south onto South Osprey Avenue, a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane that passes through residential and commercial areas. The state road curves east onto Bay Road and passes more businesses as it comes to an intersection with US 41/SR 45.[2]
State Road 758
editSR 758 begins at an intersection with US 41/SR 45. From US 41, the road is Bee Ridge Road and it widens into a seven-lane road with a center left-turn lane. The road passes through a mix of homes and businesses, intersecting South Shade Avenue before crossing Phillippi Creek. The state road heads east through more developed areas, crossing South Tuttle Avenue/Swift Road, South Lockwood Ridge Road, Beneva Road, and Sawyer Road. The road crosses the former Seminole Gulf Railway line (Legacy Trail) and intersects McIntosh Road, where just east of that at Bond Place it becomes a four-laned divided highway. Then it crosses Honore Avenue, and just before it intersects with Cattlemen Road it becomes a six-laned divided highway as it continues through areas of residential neighborhoods and businesses. SR 758 reaches its eastern terminus slightly east of an interchange with I-75/SR 93 in Bee Ridge, with the unnumbered Bee Ridge Road continuing to the east as a four-lane divided road until an intersection with Mauna Loa Boulevard. East of this intersection, Bee Ridge Road continues for approximately three miles (4.8 km) as a four-lane divided road.[1][4]
History
editSR 758 was designated in the 1980s running from Siesta Key to Interstate 75. While Interstate 75 opened through Sarasota in 1981, the Bee Ridge Road interchange did not open until 1982.[5][6]
The segment of SR 758 west of US 41 was previously a discontinuous segment of SR 789. From 1945 to 1957, present-day Bee Ridge Road was part of SR 72, which then ran down Sawyer Road and Proctor Road toward Arcadia (which was SR 220 prior to the 1945 Florida state road renumbering).[7] SR 72 was rerouted along Clark Road and Stickney Point Road around 1957.[8]
In 2018, Sarasota County accepted the state’s $40 million offer to swap responsibility for several roads (i.e. road swap) in exchange for the state to perform major improvements on River Road, one of the county’s main thoroughfares and vital evacuation routes.[9] FDOT handed over the responsibility of a portion of State Road 758, known locally as Siesta Drive and Midnight Pass Road, west of US 41. The county will be responsible for ongoing maintenance of those roadways, although the state would still maintain the bridges to Siesta Key. The road transfer was completed in September 2020.[10]
Siesta Key Bridge
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The Siesta Key Bridge (also called the Sarasota Bay Bridge) is a double-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Roberts Bay, connecting the barrier islands of Siesta Key and the mainland of Sarasota, Florida. The bridge is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation. It was built in 1972, replacing the original swing bridge built in 1926.[11][12]
Major intersections
editThe entire route is in Sarasota County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siesta Key | 0.000 | 0.000 |  CR 72 east (Stickney Point Road) | ||
| 1.238 | 1.992 | Beach Road (CR 789A north) - Siesta Beach Business District | |||
| 3.051 | 4.910 | Higel Avenue (CR 789A south) to Ocean Boulevard - Siesta Beach, Siesta Village | no left turn northbound | ||
| Sarasota | 4.513– 4.754 | 7.263– 7.651 | Siesta Key Bridge over Roberts Bay (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) | ||
| 5.771 0.0 | 9.288 0.0 | US 41 (South Tamiami Trail / SR 45) – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens | west end of state maintenance | ||
| | 2.026 | 3.261 | Beneva Road (CR 773) | ||
| | 5.148 | 8.285 | I-75 (SR 93) – Tampa, Naples | I-75 exit 207 | |
| | 5.432 | 8.742 | east end of state maintenance | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b c "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory". Florida Department of Transportation. December 4, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "County Road 758" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ "General Highway Map, Sarasota County (2022)" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "overview of State Road 758" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Interstate 75". AA Roads. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Graham Acts On Road Delays". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. April 21, 1982. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Sarasota, 1936" (PDF). Florida Center for Instructional Technology. University of South Florida. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ State Road Department of Florida (1957). Official State Road Map of Florida (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Rodriguez, Nicole (May 22, 2018). "Sarasota County accepts state deal to widen, improve River Road". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Hackney, Rachel Brown (July 16, 2020). "Final formal step taken by County Commission to effect its assumption of authority over Siesta Key roads, beginning in September". The Sarasota News Leader. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ "BridgeReports.com | SR-758 over SARASOTA BAY, Sarasota County, Florida". bridgereports.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ "Sarasota Bay Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
External links
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