Crossing the Manatee River on I-75 can take forever. New bridges could ease your commute

The Florida Department of Transportation is planning big changes for the Interstate 75-U.S. 301 interchange in Ellenton.

New bridges will be constructed over the Manatee River to accommodate up to 10 traffic lanes, a new northbound exit ramp and a new southbound entrance ramp.

In addition, the existing partial cloverleaf interchange will be replaced by a constricted diamond configuration. Projected cost for the 1.1-mile project: $190 million.

The new interchange will simplify entering and leaving the intersection near Ellenton Premium Outlets and the Florida International Trade Port. More importantly, it is being designed to handle the traffic load well beyond 2050.

The proposed I-75 entrance and exit ramps will be significantly different than the existing ramps. The northbound exit ramp from I-75 will have two lanes which exit south of the Manatee River and run parallel to the east of mainline I-75. As it nears U.S. 301, the exit ramp will widen to six lanes to serve U.S. 301. Three lanes will turn left, and three lanes will turn right, Zachary Burch, FDOT government affairs & communications manager, said in an email.

The southbound I-75 entrance ramp from U.S. 301 will accept triple-left turns from westbound U.S. 301 and a single-lane free-flow movement from eastbound U.S. 301. These will taper down to carry two lanes, running parallel to the west of mainline I-75, over the Manatee River and onto southbound mainline I-75, Burch said.

It is all part of the FDOT master plan to replace I-75 intersections in Manatee and Sarasota counties, which started with the $75 million diverging diamond on University Parkway.

County Commission Chair Priscilla Whisenant Trace applauds the changes coming to I-75 and U.S. 301.

“It’s a big problem in that part of the county. It’s a bad intersection. A lot of times I go to work early to avoid the bridge traffic. It’s not a fun drive,” she said.

An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 cars travel daily across the Trooper J.D. Young Memorial Bridge.

The widening and reconstruction of I-75 will provide for an eight-lane divided roadway with 12-foot inside and outside paved shoulders and a median that varies from 64 feet to 161 feet, JoAnn May, a communications specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation, said in an email.

At some point in the future, the median also could be used for some type of rail transportation.

“The redesign of the I-75/U.S. 301 interchange will not only handle the existing six lanes of traffic more efficiently, it will accommodate up to 10 lanes — two express lanes and three general-use lanes in each direction,” May said.

At this time, there is no timeline or funding for the ultimate 10-lane section. FDOT is beginning a study to look at when and where the ultimate sections will be necessary, Burch said.

“We will be studying the entire I-75 and I-4 corridors to determine the locations with the greatest need as well as the best way to achieve the ultimate configuration,” Burch said.

Work also includes enhancement to three intersections along U.S. 301: 51st Avenue East, 60th Avenue and 19th Street.

This design-build project is under design and is expected to be completed by fall 2018, and construction is scheduled for fall 2019, she said.

Although the start of construction is not anticipated for another year, the project is already making itself felt.

At a recent Manatee County Commission land-use meeting, commissioners listened carefully to a presentation by Specialty Restaurant Corporation of Anaheim, Calif., on its plans to build a 9,000-square-foot Whiskey Joe’s Bar & Grill on 1.8 acres at 5313 and 5315 19th St. E.

A portion of the proposed restaurant’s 19th Street East frontage is scheduled to become a cul de sac when an on-ramp to southbound I-75 is constructed from U.S. 301. FDOT already has acquired the vacant Johnny Leverock’s Seafood House next door to the proposed Whiskey Joe’s and will construct the on-ramp there.

Ryan Brown, a transportation planner for the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, likened the I-75-U.S. 301 intersection to “the gateway to the whole region.”

The state is still working on the design for bridge replacement, and has not announced how it will keep traffic flowing while building new bridges, Brown said.

Money has been budgeted for the I-75-U.S. 301 project, which should be completed sometime in 2022 or 2023, Brown said.

“It’s a huge win to get them all combined into one in an area that obviously needs it,” Brown said of FDOT’s plans for I-75 intersections in Manatee and Sarasota. “It shows a good commitment by the state.”

After the I-75-State Road 64 modified diamond interchange is completed, FDOT will turn its attention to the I-75-State Road 70 intersection, Brown said.

“I am all for it. We have a serious problem every day on I-75,” Trace said of the planned improvements.

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 6:15 AM.