Governor celebrates completion of $61 million River Road expansion in Venice

The governor presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Venice on the completion of the River Road (State Road 777) expansion, calling the project "a 61,000,000 project" that widens a five‑mile corridor from two lanes to six between U.S. 41 and I‑75. He said the work included upgrades to pedestrian and bike paths, enhanced crosswalks, improved lighting and two wildlife underpasses intended to reduce animal collisions.

"So today, we're here to celebrate the completion of this River Road project," the governor said, framing the work as both congestion relief and an improvement to regional hurricane-evacuation capacity. The governor and local officials said the expansion will triple River Road's capacity and provide a detour route during extreme flooding, citing experience from Hurricane Ian.

Jared (the state transportation secretary, introduced at the event) described the transfer of the roadway from county to state control and the expedited timeline that followed. "This project has been planned for over 20 something years now, just sitting there waiting for funding," the secretary said, and credited state funding and the county partnership for beginning construction within two years of the transfer. Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman added a local safety perspective, saying he had driven the flooded route during Hurricane Ian and praising elevation and safety improvements.

Local officials and state transportation staff said the project was a joint effort with Sarasota County contribution to the funding. No formal vote or ordinance occurred at the event; officials used the ceremony to describe the project's scope, funding partnership and expected operational benefits.