Fix for downtown traffic woes may mean turning Manatee Avenue back to a two-way street

A lot went into making Manatee and Sixth avenues one-way streets through downtown Bradenton many years ago, but they may be going away — or at least shifting to the south.

A decade-old plan, created by the late Rick Fawley of the Fawley Bryant architectural firm, has resurfaced and officials want the Florida Department of Transportation to consider it as the agency moves forward with its plan to relieve traffic congestion in downtown.

Fawley’s plan calls for making Manatee Avenue West and Sixth Avenue West two-way streets and turning Ninth and 13th avenues west into one-way streets.

Between FDOT’s proposal and the Fawley plan, officials appear more confident they can deliver some relief for drivers, even before addressing the more complicated issue of how to replace the obsolete Desoto Bridge.

FDOT’s short-term proposal identifies key choke points: The four intersections where Manatee and Sixth avenues west intersect with First Street and Ninth Street West.

Heading north on First Street, the proposal is to eliminate access onto Manatee Avenue, diverting traffic down Ninth Avenue West instead to Third Street West and then either to Sixth or Manatee. The proposal includes adding traffic signals at both intersections on Third Street and streamlining overall traffic signalization through downtown.

Bradenton City Council member Harold Byrd Jr. said if FDOT is going to divert a lot of traffic at Ninth Avenue anyway, Fawley’s plan to make it a one-way makes more sense than ever.

Bradenton officials had become hesitant to move a resolution forward to allow FDOT to begin to design its short-term traffic solution, but the combination of the state’s plan with the Fawley plan led them to approve it Wednesday.

“We are asking that FDOT vet some of these suggestions from the Fawley plan and we would like to see some kind of inclusion to look at these alternatives,” Byrd said. “Vet the situation and see where we are and if that’s the inclusion as part of the short-term proposal, then I’m in favor.”

A lot of attention has been given to traffic congestion on north-south routes along the Green and Desoto bridges and short-term proposals are now moving forward.

But the level of “pain” that will cause east-west drivers remains to be seen, Councilman Bemis Smith said.

Lawrence Massey, FDOT District One project manager, assured the city council on Wednesday that his agency will not leave the city in gridlock and will work on all issues that may surface. Massey also agreed that the Fawley plan is potentially a compatible component of the FDOT plan.

“We are vetting the Fawley plan,” Massey said. “We’ll model that to see what kind of improvements for the distribution of traffic in all three of the east-west corridors, and eliminating the one-way pair is part of that. But we categorize that as a mid-term improvement because it will likely have significant right-of-way challenges. But for the short-term solutions, I think they are compatible with the Fawley plan.”

FDOT will begin a $1.52 million intersection improvement at Ninth Street West and Third Avenue West beginning in April.

The Desoto Bridge will be replaced regardless. Whether it’s replaced with another bridge or a “flyover,” any construction is a minimum of 10 years away. If the bridge is simply replaced as is, and a third bridge location is picked at either 15th or 27th streets east, it could be 25 years before it can be built.

“So it’s all about starting the process now,” said Vice Mayor Gene Brown. “It’s important for the public to have an open mind and look through the first part of the process.”

It’s also important for the public to understand that Wednesday’s approval was only for FDOT to begin some conceptual designing, Councilman Patrick Roff said.

“We are making a resolution to go forward to explore the possibility to help with short-term traffic flow, but not for you to do anything you want,” Roff said.

This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Fix for downtown traffic woes may mean turning Manatee Avenue back to a two-way street."