Traffic gridlocks and other headaches mellowed Monday after highway officials opened two temporary southbound lanes on Interstate 75 after a fiery tanker explosion that closed a section of the roadway over the Manatee River last week.
The opening of the lanes on the northbound side of the highway brought relief to motorists traveling along the interstate, and in Bradenton and Palmetto during the day's rush hours.
"Traffic is moving good," said FDOT spokeswoman Cindy Clemmons-Adente as she stood below the I-75 overpass Monday. "Last week we were seeing delays of one to two hours - but not today."
On Wednesday, a gasoline truck crashed and damaged the overpass causing highway officials to close the southbound overpass of the interstate over U.S. 301 in Ellenton.
The northbound lanes of I-75 were reopened a few hours after the accident, but the southbound lane closure created heavy congestion as traffic was detoured into Bradenton and Palmetto.
Crews from the state highway department opened two lanes going southbound and two lanes going northbound on the northbound side of the interstate late Sunday to alleviate major backups that caused last week's delays.
Traffic on U.S. 41 and Highway 19, used as detour routes last week, was also flowing at normal speeds Monday. Last week, traffic was bumper-to-bumper along those highways from Bradenton to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The reconstruction of the I-75 bridge is expected to take about six weeks, and FDOT will have to spend $1.7 million from the statewide bridge repair fund for the construction work.
"The funding for the project will come from the statewide bridge repair fund, but keep in mind the contractor will very typically seek third-party reimbursement," said Debbie Tower, another FDOT spokeswoman. "So what that means is, essentially, the contractor will seek funding from the insurance company from whoever the Florida Highway Patrol finds at fault."
The crash occurred when the driver of a tanker full of fuel attempted to steer clear of a pickup that had fishtailed while merging into traffic on the overpass. The tanker hit another vehicle, then rolled over the bridge's wall, landing on U.S. 301 and exploded.
The driver of the pickup, Fernando Aguilera-Chavez, 28, of Bradenton, has been charged with careless driving, according to Lt. Doug Dodson of the FHP.
The tanker driver, Raymond Neumann, 54, of Brooksville, died Saturday at Tampa General Hospital from severe burns and other injuries sustained in the wreck.
The lowest bid for the construction work was from Zep Construction Inc. of Fort Myers at $1.7 million, Tower said. The two other companies that bid for the contract were Johnson Brothers of Lithia, Fla., with a bid of $2.5 million and PCL Constructors, a Canadian-based company, with a bid of $4.1 million.
Zep Construction was already on the site Monday beginning the repairs to the interstate.
"I can tell you, as of our 2007 traffic count on the interstate in that vicinity, we averaged 83,000 vehicles per day," Tower said. "Of course, during season it goes higher. But 83,000 vehicles per day is a pretty fair amount of traffic and we are intending to keep traffic moving as best we can on the interstate, but we need cooperation from drivers."
Overnight Monday, crews repaved the southern crossover by closing one lane at a time.
As other crews working on the missing span, FDOT officials urged motorists to abide by the 45 mph speed limit.
Troopers will be patrolling that section of the interstate looking for speeders and issuing tickets. In addition, Clemmons-Adente said Road Ranger support will be on site 24 hours a day in case of breakdowns or other emergency situations. Trucks are also instructed to use the right lane of the interstate in that area.
On U.S. 301 underneath I-75, one lane in each direction was opened Sunday. The speed limit through that area is 35 mph.
Drivers on U.S. 301 cannot access southbound I-75 and should follow the signed detour to U.S. 41, then drive east on State Road 64/Manatee Avenue back to the interstate.
Despite traffic flowing along the interstate Monday, some drivers were still hesitant to take it.
Headed to a job in Bradenton on Monday morning, construction firm owner Chris Brown stood inside a gas station off State Road 70 pondering how he would get to town.
"It's been a mess," the Myakka City resident said of his recollection of driving the interstate last week.
After learning interstate traffic was moving in both directions Monday, he still opted to take an alternate route to work.
"I wanna avoid it for now," Brown said as he filled a plastic cup with soda. "I'll eventually take it. It will get better."
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