Bradenton officials back off FDOT’s downtown traffic divergence proposal

A week after saying it would draft a resolution to allow the Florida Department of Transportation to move forward with a downtown traffic divergence proposal, the Bradenton City Council is having second thoughts.

“I’m getting more concerned and still having heartburn at what will be created,” Ward 4 Councilman Bemis Smith said. “To (Vice Mayor Gene Brown’s) earlier point, I’m starting to wonder if we aren’t just beating up the folks traveling from Palmetto to the south and locking up everyone else.”

FDOT has proposals to ease bridge congestion points at Manatee Avenue and Sixth Avenue at First Street to the Desoto Bridge and Ninth Street West to the Green Bridge. FDOT wants to eliminate downtown access at First Street and Manatee Avenue and force traffic to divert at Ninth Avenue West to Third Street West, where motorists can travel north until they pick up the one-ways.

The proposal calls for new traffic signals at both Third Street West intersections at Sixth and Manatee avenues. Those lights would also impact the heavily congested east-west travel on the one-ways. FDOT’s model shows it would work, but officials acknowledge downtown traffic would suffer delays to the benefit of traffic just trying to cross the bridges into Palmetto.

“Almost everyone, including staff, said it was putting their heads in the sand,” said Economic Development Director Carl Callahan. “We aren’t worried about what a computer says, we are saying you are solving one problem, but creating another. There’s more work that needs to be done there in what it would create further into downtown. We should have them address that in a more detailed manner.”

Smith also is concerned with the east-west backups that would be created at the Third Street intersections on the one-ways. He said human nature would have people avoiding those lights to keep traveling west on Ninth Street to Ninth Avenue, confirming Brown’s earlier concerns of creating a new choke point further into downtown.

The intent to remove the double left-turn lanes onto Manatee Avenue off First Street to force those vehicles to turn left at Ninth Avenue also is a concern. The double lanes can hold upwards of 25 vehicles waiting to turn, while the left turn lane on First and Ninth can hold about 12. Smith said traffic would end up backing up into First Street, causing further problems.

Mayor Wayne Poston said the model doesn’t take into account people’s driving patterns and habits. Ward 5 Councilman Harold Byrd Jr. said the council isn’t likely to move forward with the resolution at this time.

This story was originally published January 28, 2018 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Bradenton officials back off FDOT’s downtown traffic divergence proposal."