Big part of mainland-islands traffic study won’t start until at least 2017

With the winter tourist season just around the corner in Manatee County, traffic congestion between Manatee-Sarasota and the barrier islands is expected to worsen as it does every season.

While a study of possible improvements to address seasonal traffic congestion between the islands and the mainland is forthcoming, data collection will not take place until next tourist season, Florida Department of Transportation told elected officials Monday morning.

“We’ve gone ahead and started moving through the procurement process so that we can get a consultant firm brought on board,” FDOT District 1 Secretary Billy Hattaway told the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization at Monday’s meeting. “We don’t usually do that before we have the adopted monies allocated. ...We will not have a firm on-board in time to do data collection for this coming season but obviously we are going to move this forward as quickly as we can.”

The barrier island mobility study, which has previously been estimated to cost $675,000 with FDOT providing 80 percent of the cost, was one of three transportation project priorities included in the MPO’s proposed 2017 state legislative priorities that the board approved Monday. The two other projects are the DeSoto Bridge replacement and River Road expansion.

But while the data collection for the barrier island mobility study will not take place for at least another year, the consultant — once selected — will begin working on other aspects of the study in the interim, according to L.K. Nandam with FDOT.

One of those other tasks includes reviewing previous studies that have since been “sitting on a shelf” and shortlisting the recommendations made in those studies, Nandam said.

“By the time the next peak season rolls in, we will have all this work done and be ready for data collection,” he said.

Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson commended FDOT during Monday’s meeting.

“We are very pleased to see the nature of the way this is anticipated to progress,” he said. “I think that only through that way can we get something that we can actually work with, that people can come up with viable alternatives and know the impact of what those alternatives will be.”

Also on Monday, the MPO:

• Heard a presentation about how the Sarasota/Manatee area compares with the state in regard to safety as the MPO transitions to a “performance-driven, outcome-based program” for federally funded programs.
• Approved an adjustment to a Congestion Management System project for a signalized intersection at 63rd Avenue East at 33rd Street East after a roundabout was deemed not feasible.

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Big part of mainland-islands traffic study won’t start until at least 2017."