State Road 758 (SR 758) is an state road in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, United States. State Road 758 is locally known as Bee Ridge Road from

Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north� ...

(

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

- SR 45) east to its eastern terminus at

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

( SR 93) where it continues east as a county road.

Route description

SR 758 begins at an intersection with

/ SR 45. Upon crossing US 41/SR 45, the road 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 The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, whic ...

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 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

/ 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 as a four-lane divided road.

History

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. 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.

Major intersections

Bridges

Siesta Key Bridge

The Siesta Key Bridge (also called the Sarasota Bay Bridge) is a double-leaf

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

that crosses the Roberts Bay, connecting the

barrier islands Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a f ...

Siesta Key A ''siesta'' (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The ...

and the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The bascule bridge carries Siesta Drive, part of SR 758. It was built in 1972, replacing the original

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

built in 1926.

References

External links

{{commons category 758 758 Sarasota, Florida