Friday and the approaching weekend brought much-needed relief to local roadways while an around-the-clock effort continued to at least partially restore Interstate 75 by Monday morning rush hour.
Roads clogged for much of the past two days with thousands of southbound travelers were a little clearer Friday morning. Throughout the day local law enforcement officials helped control traffic, manually directing cars and sometimes controlling traffic lights at busy intersections throughout the heart of Palmetto and Bradenton. Driving conditions through the detour improved greatly Thursday to Friday.
"Things were difficult on Thursday as we took our first crack at it," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube. "On Friday, we used the helicopter to identify problem areas, and also changed traffic light cycles so they would stay green longer" on north-south roads.
The driver of a fuel tanker tried to avert an accident on the rain-slick interstate Wednesday and crashed onto U.S. 301 below. The resulting inferno disintegrated the truck and ruined a large stretch of the three-lane southbound interstate above. Information on driver Raymond Neumann's condition was not being released Friday. He was last listed in critical condition with severe burns.
State officials continued to ask for patience and caution from the public through the weekend as demolition crews work to tear down the charred remains of southbound I-75. By midday, northbound I-75 was down to two lanes as construction crews prepared to install a concrete barrier that will allow the creation of four lanes - two northbound, two southbound - by Monday morning.
On the grass medians north and south of the bridge, two paved crossover lanes will be installed to form a temporary stint to give southbound traffic access to the northbound lanes. Dodson said traffic along the makeshift interstate will be limited to 45 m.p.h.
Weather permitting, the work could be done by Monday morning.
"The concrete barrier walls ... are going to help facilitate reduction of the traffic being dumped into the cities," said Lt. Doug Dodson, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman. "When it all gets implemented, it'll be a four-mile stretch where drivers need to be concerned and slow down. They'll have to pay attention to the speed. We need our workers safe and we need (drivers) to slow down."
'They're moving fast'
There was no firm plan for lane closures and openings on the interstate this weekend. Officials said those decisions would be dictated by the pace of the barrier wall construction. Dodson added that some traffic may open along U.S. 301 once the demolition is complete.
Plans are still to have a replacement for the southbound span by mid-July, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT spokeswoman Debbie Tower said engineers will draw up a set of plans for the bridge this weekend and will put the project out to bid as soon as possible. It's also too early for cost estimates.
"It takes a lot of people to get this engine moving and they're moving fast. It takes two to three years, sometimes, to build a bridge," Tower said. "They're doing it in up to six weeks."
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