Moccasin Wallow Road expansion worries some Manatee County residents
One of Manatee’s most neglected country roads is about to get a modern-day upgrade.
Manatee County staff held a public meeting at the First Baptist Church of Gillette Monday evening to spread the word of a street-widening project that will eventually take Moccasin Wallow Road from two lanes to six, with three in each direction.
More than 150 people showed up for the informational session. Residents say it’s past time for the county to improve the road, but some fear that six lanes could become dangerous.
“There’s good and bad. We need four lanes right now, but I don’t think it needs to be six lanes,” said Donna Podis, who lives in the Artisan Lakes subdivision. “Four lanes will definitely help with the traffic we have now.”
The combined $30 million project will run 1.9 miles from U.S. 41 to just west of Interstate 75. According to project managers, the project will be completed in phases.
Phase 1 will see the road built out to four lanes separated by a 22-foot-wide grassy strip in the middle. Sidewalks and bike lanes are also included in planned improvements.
After that, Dan Garner, a project engineer, said Moccasin Wallow won’t be widened to six lanes until capacity is met, which could takes years.
Other residents said they were afraid a six-lane buildout would turn Moccasin Wallow into a “highway” and questioned how the county would ensure that traffic conditions remain safe.
“We design the roads as safe as we can,” Garner said. “Because it’s connected to I-75, it’s going to have a pretty good amount of capacity on it.”
Carol Huttinger argued that instead of widening Moccasin Wallow, Manatee County should be putting more effort into alleviating congestion over the Manatee River.
“I don’t think this is going to improve traffic for us out here,” Huttinger said. “It might help with getting from one end of the road to the other, but we need more help getting into Bradenton.
County Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace attended the meeting, as well, and spoke with residents. She said she felt the project needs to be done and supports building out the four-lane road while acquiring the right-of-way that will be needed for a six-lane roadway in the future.
East of I-75, Manatee officials have approved thousands of new homes. Added capacity on Moccasin Wallow will help those new commuters, Trace pointed out.
“With all these developments coming north of the river, you’re either going to have that same amount of traffic on a two-lane road or on a six-lane road,” she said.
A date for construction to begin has not been set, but county engineers say design work will begin in 2020.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 7:21 AM.
