You’ve all been stuck in traffic headed to Anna Maria Island or on Interstate 75. Here’s a way to try to avoid the bottleneck in the future.

Imagine being able to find out current travel time to places such as Anna Maria Island or University Parkway without leaving your couch.

Well, that could soon be possible. Within the next two years, a Sarasota-Manatee Regional Traffic Management Center traveler information website could be operational as a way to let motorists know “travel time, congestion, traffic incidents, DMS (Dynamic Message Signs) messages and live video streams from the CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras,” according to the Request for Proposal.

“The desire is to share traveler information that is currently only available to the RTMC operators with the traveling public in order for them to make informed decisions about travel choices,” said Sage Kamiya, Manatee County’s deputy director of traffic management.

Launched in 2005, the Regional Traffic Management Center, which is a joint venture between Manatee County, Sarasota County, Bradenton, Palmetto, Sarasota and Florida Department of Transportation, intends “to improve transportation efficiency on the arterial roadway system of the Sarasota-Manatee regional area through active arterial traffic management,” the RFP states.

“The website’s goal is to provide information about current traffic conditions to the traveling public,” the RFP states.

Manatee County is accepting proposals until 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 29 for a firm to develop the website, which has been a point of discussion since the center’s inception in 2005, according to Kamiya.

“The website will share traveler information such as video images and travel time data,” he said.

By fiscal year 2019, the website is expected to be launched and the funding for the website’s development will be provided through FDOT, according to Kamiya.

“The cost depends on the responsive bidder proposals,” he said.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 11:44 AM with the headline "You’ve all been stuck in traffic headed to Anna Maria Island or on Interstate 75. Here’s a way to try to avoid the bottleneck in the future.."