"Bike lanes are closed due to construction. Cyclists should follow the posted detour." That line is from FDOT's District One RoadWatch report for the week of October 25 to 31, 2026. It covers the stretch of S.R. 789 between Bird Key Drive and Sunset Drive, which anyone heading to St. Armands Circle or Lido Beach drives over.
The closure is a little ironic. The $12.3 million project is adding dedicated bicycle and transit lanes on the Ringling Bridge, and right now it has closed the existing bike lanes to build them. For now, the free Breeze Route 78 Bay Runner trolley is the simplest way to cross the bridge without a car. Sarasota County says the route is "focused on reducing traffic congestion over the John Ringling Causeway."
What the Causeway Will Look Like When the Cones Come Down
The City of Sarasota's notice of the FDOT project lists the full scope. On the bridge, it adds dedicated bicycle and transit lanes. Below the bridge, it upgrades drainage and raises the seawall cap near Sunset Drive. The whole corridor gets resurfaced. New traffic signals are going in at Sunset Drive, Golden Gate Drive and Bird Key Drive. Palm trees and small shrubs from the eastern end of the causeway are being moved to medians closer to St. Armands Circle.
Construction started January 5, 2026. The finish date depends on which source you read:
| Source | Date published | Expected completion |
|---|---|---|
| City of Sarasota notice of FDOT project | January 2026 | Early 2027 |
| Your Observer, St. Armands visioning summary | April 15, 2026 | Early 2027 |
| Your Observer, Sarasota and Longboat joint meeting | October 9, 2026 | Later this year |
The best reading is a window that runs from the end of 2026 into the first months of 2027. That overlaps the start of season. At the October 7 joint meeting of the Sarasota and Longboat Key commissions, Your Observer reported that Longboat Key's population more than doubles from January to April. For residents on the south end of that island, the best route to the mainland runs over the New Pass bridge, through St. Armands Circle and across this same causeway.
What Changes on the Drive This Week
FDOT's report for October 25 to 31 lists the work underway: roadway widening, milling and paving, concrete curb and sidewalk, drainage, and light poles and traffic signals. A few things matter most for a regular trip:
- Sunset Drive is temporarily closed at the Ritz entrance off Gulfstream Avenue for driveway reconstruction. FDOT expects the closure to last about 60 days.
- The speed limit on Gulfstream Avenue and the John Ringling Causeway stays at 35 mph. Speeding fines double when workers are present.
- Lane closures move with each phase of the project.
- Work hours are mostly daytime, with occasional night work and the noise of backup alarms and pumps that comes with it.
- Pedestrians are directed to designated paths and posted detour signs.
FDOT's weekly reports are the most current record, and they change week to week. The FDOT project page links to updates, but its own completion estimate still reads "Late 2025," so the weekly RoadWatch is the more reliable guide to what you'll find on a given morning.
The Bay Runner Is the Easiest Way Across Without a Car
Cyclists are the people most affected right now, because the bike lanes are closed. The trolley gives them another way across. Sarasota County's touring-routes page says every Bay Runner-branded trolley has an exterior rack that holds two bicycles. Anyone who used to ride to Lido can follow the posted detour or put the bike on the trolley's rack. With two spots per trolley, a rack space isn't guaranteed.
For everyone else, the Bay Runner has a lot going for it. The City of Sarasota pays for it, it's free for every rider, and it runs every day of the year. It connects downtown Sarasota to St. Armands Circle, Lido Beach and Ted Sperling Park at the south end of Lido. The current Route 78 schedule runs from Main Street at School Avenue to Ted Sperling Park and estimates a trolley every 30 minutes, depending on traffic.
Here's how the options compare this season:
| Option | Cost | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breeze Route 78 Bay Runner | Free | 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday | About every 30 minutes; exterior rack for two bikes |
| Breeze OnDemand, Downtown/Lido/Longboat zone | $3 to $6 for a single rider by distance, $1 for a companion on the same booking | 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday | Booked rides within the zone |
| St. Armands Garage, 57 N. Adams Drive | First hour free with plate entered, then $2 for hours one to two and $1 per additional hour | Garage access | Pay-on-entry possible during Circle events |
| Ben Franklin Drive beach parking | $1 per hour | Metered | Beach-parallel spaces on Lido |
The trolley's late hours are its best feature. A Friday dinner on the Circle that ends at 10:30 p.m. still has a ride back downtown. The holiday schedule matters too. On Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve, the Bay Runner runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On New Year's Eve, it runs from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Breeze's October to December newsletter says seasonal service changes are tentatively planned for early December. They focus on removing redundant stops and adjusting stop times and layovers, and details are due in November. Check the schedule again before the Thanksgiving week.
Event Nights Are When the Car Costs More
The garage's first free hour works well on an ordinary afternoon. On event nights it's less predictable. The St. Armands Circle Association says that during Circle events, the city may switch the St. Armands garage to pay-on-entry to speed up exits. These are the dates on the Association's calendar:
- November 7: Ferraris on the Circle
- November 14 and 15: St. Armands art festival and sidewalk sale. Your Observer reports that Howard Alan Events plans about 200 artists, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
- December 4: Holiday Night of Lights
- December 12: Porsches in the Park
On those dates, the trolley avoids the garage line and the parking fee. The 11 p.m. weekend finish covers the Holiday Night of Lights, which falls on a Friday. Check the Association's events page for each event's hours.
Traffic is a long-running issue on the Circle. At the city's St. Armands visioning sessions this spring, traffic made up 27.86% of the issues people listed. That was more than any other concern, including redevelopment at 24.59% and flooding at 18.03%, according to Your Observer.
What's Waiting on the Lido Side
Lido Beach itself is open, with a few changes:
- Lido Beach Pool is closed until further notice for essential repairs and maintenance, and the City's pool and pavilion page gives no reopening date. The notice doesn't say the pavilion or the beach is closed.
- Dune restoration began on or shortly after September 21, and beach access stays open during the work. The City's notice describes about 3,000 cubic yards of sand placed into 1.2 miles of dunes, followed by native-appropriate planting and post-and-rope barriers.
- The dune timeline has moved. The original notice estimated 60 days, but the City's project tracker now shows construction finishing in early 2027, with dunes running from the Pavilion south to residential properties.
So the causeway and the dunes have the same rough finish window, and walks on Lido Beach this winter will pass rope barriers and new plantings.
On the Circle, the return of Shore is still on hold. Your Observer reported on October 21 that the restaurant's mixed-use proposal at Boulevard of the Presidents and Madison Drive needs to be resubmitted, and that city staff is still looking for a parking solution. Its former address at 465 John Ringling Blvd. is now leased to Tommy Bahama.
The Next Bridge Is Already in Design
After this project, the Little Ringling Bridge is next. It crosses the Coon Key Waterway between Bird Key Drive and St. Armands. FDOT lists the project in the design phase, with $4 million for design and about $74 million for construction. The plan replaces the existing bridges with a single bridge that has room for bicycles and pedestrians. Your Observer's April summary puts construction "later this decade" without a start date.
When both projects are done, the main route from downtown to the Circle will have more room for bikes, pedestrians and transit than it has today.
If you own property on Lido Key, St. Armands or Bird Key and want to talk through what the causeway and bridge projects could mean for your plans this season, Harriet Stopher offers a complimentary market consultation. Harriet has worked these islands for more than 30 years and can tell you how access, timing and the island calendar may affect a sale or purchase.
