Florida State Road 72

State Road 72 (SR 72) is a state highway in DeSoto and Sarasota County, Florida. It is the most direct route to Siesta Key when traveling west on SR 70 from Arcadia and Fort Pierce.

State Road 72
SR 72 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length	42.559 mi[1] (68.492 km)
Major junctions
West end	SR 758 on Siesta Key
	US 41 near Sarasota I-75 near Sarasota
East end	SR 70 near Arcadia
Location
Counties	DeSoto, Sarasota
Highway system
Florida State Highway System Interstate U.S. SR Former Pre-1945 Toll Scenic ← SR 71 → SR 73

The western terminus is with an intersection with SR 758 in Siesta Key. West of U.S. Route 41, the road is 4 lanes wide to get over Sarasota Bay on the Stickney Point Bridge. The road is then 6 lanes wide from US 41 to the Interstate 75 interchange. Immediately east of Interstate 75, the road transforms from 6 lanes wide to 2 lanes wide. It crosses the Myakka River and provides access to Myakka River State Park. A block west of the eastern terminus is CR 661, an alternative of U.S. Route 17 and provides access to State Road 60 (via SR 37). Its eastern terminus is with an intersection of SR 70 near Arcadia.

Route description

SR 72 westbound past I-75 interchange near Bee Ridge

SR 72 begins at an intersection with the southern terminus of SR 758 to the east of the Gulf of Mexico in Siesta Key, Sarasota County, heading northeast on Stickney Point Road, a four-lane divided highway. The road passes through commercial areas, crossing the Intracoastal Waterway on a drawbridge. The state road heads into Gulf Gate Estates, passing through residential areas before heading into a commercial area and crossing US 41/SR 45. Past this intersection, SR 72 passes more homes and businesses as a seven-lane road with a center left-turn lane, curving east onto Clark Road at the Swift Road intersection. The road continues through developed areas, crossing South Lockwood Ridge Road, CR 773 (Beneva Road), and Sawyer Road. The state road becomes a six-lane divided highway and intersects McIntosh Road as it crosses a Seminole Gulf Railway line. SR 72 passes more businesses and intersects Sawyer Loop Road, Honore Avenue, and Gantt Road before coming to an interchange with I-75/SR 93 near Bee Ridge.[2][3]

Past this interchange, the state road narrows to four lanes before becoming a two-lane undivided road as it heads through residential areas, passing to the north of Twin Lakes Park. The road turns to the southeast and heads into a mix of wooded neighborhoods and fields, becoming an unnamed road. SR 72 curves east again and runs through rural areas of woods and swamps. The road enters Myakka River State Park and turns southeast. The state road continues through wooded swamps within the state park, heading east again. SR 72 leaves Myakka River State Park and passes through areas of fields and trees. The road crosses into DeSoto County and continues through rural areas for several more miles, intersecting CR 769. SR 72 turns northeast and passes through farmland and trees with some homes, intersecting CR 661 before ending at an intersection with SR 70 to the west of Arcadia.[2][3]

Future

Starting in the Summer of 2021 the interchange with I-75 will be upgraded to a diverging diamond interchange. The on and off ramps on I-75 will be reconstructed as well as a 12 feet (3.7 m) auxiliary lane. Also noise barrier wall, sidewalks and bike lanes will be added along SR 72. The project is expected to cost around 51 million dollars and will take about two years to complete.[4]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Sarasota	Siesta Key	0.000	0.000	SR 758 north (Midnight Pass Road / CR 789 south) – Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach South, Turtle Beach, Business Districts	Western terminus
	Gulf Intracoastal Waterway	0.28	0.45	Stickney Point Bridge
	​	0.980	1.577	US 41 (Tamiami Trail South / SR 45) – Sarasota, Venice
	​	2.783	4.479	Beneva Road (CR 773)
	​	5.78	9.30	I-75 (SR 93) – Tampa, St. Petersburg, Naples	I-75 exit 205
	​	7.496	12.064	Proctor Road (CR 72A west)
	​	8.947	14.399	Bee Ridge Road Extension
DeSoto	​	37.678	60.637	CR 769 south – Port Charlotte
	​	41.708	67.123	CR 661 south
	​	42.559	68.492	SR 70 – Bradenton, Arcadia	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

County Road 72A

County Road 72A
Location	South Sarasota-Proctor

County Road 72A (CR 72A) is a west-to-east suffixed alternate of SR 72. The road is named "Proctor Road," and much of it is four lanes wide. It begins as a four-lane undivided highway at US 41 and doesn't become a divided highway until it reaches the Sarasota County Technical Institute. At McIntosh Road it narrows to a two-lane undivided highway. At Honore Avenue it widens to a four-lane divided highway. After the intersection of Cattleman Road and Grove Point Boulevard the road narrows down to a two-lane undivided highway before crossing over I-75 with no access, then returns to ground level after a power sub-station on the northeast corner of the overpass. After the intersection of a one-lane dead end street named Falcon Place, it curves to the southeast where it will eventually meet up with its parent route at the intersection with Dove Avenue. A former right of way of the road can be seen on the northeast corner of the terminus.

References

1. FDOT straight line diagrams Archived March 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 2014
2. "Straight-Line Diagrams". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
3. Google (June 27, 2012). "overview of State Road 72" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
4. "FDOT holds public meeting on diverging diamond project at I-75 and Clark Road in Sarasota". www.mysuncoast.com. www.mysuncoast.com. November 21, 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019. data