A big road project is coming to Bradenton’s 75th Street West. Here’s what residents say
During an informational meeting hosted by the Manatee County Government on Saturday, residents in West Manatee County expressed their thoughts on the upcoming 75th Street West improvement project.
The road improvement project is anticipated to cost $11.9 million, with construction to begin in late 2024 and end in late 2027.
The project would convert a two-lane stretch of road from 75th Street West to 20th Avenue West into a split four-lane section with two additional lanes in each direction.
The meeting was held in the Bradenton Elks Lodge, 2511 75th Street West.
Residents had the chance to comment on the project and talk with county officials, such as Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, as they walked around reading poster boards with information on the 75th Street West upgrade.
The county’s plan includes improvements to a bicycle and pedestrian facility, including a shared-use route, drainage improvements, designated storm water ponds, and other safety and operational improvements.
In addition, the county will need to make certain technical upgrades, such as replacing and updating traffic signals as needed to fit the widened roadway.
Manatee County’s strategic affairs manager with the public works department, Ogen Clark, told the Bradenton Herald on Saturday that the county has had plans for improving the road since the early 1990s.
Property acquisition phase
Clark said that the construction timeline depends on the county’s ability to gain ownership of the homes and businesses along 75th Street West to 20th Avenue West.
The county is currently in a “friendly acquisition” phase in which they are working with residents to buy their property. The next step would be a temporary easement that would allow the county to use that person’s land for the purpose of completing the project.
Clark said the county also went through a similar land acquisition process with residents on 59th Street West in Bradenton, where another road widening project is underway.
“In some cases like on 59th Street, there were temporary easements where the owners would say, ‘Yes you can work up close to my property,’” Clark said. “But if they don’t, sometimes the county looks into a permanent easement, there’s also a component of the accusation process called eminent domain.”
Eminent domain would allow the county to take the property for public use.
Some residents along the construction path will lose their homes entirely, while others will have to give up a portion of their property.
“There were 88 potential property owners that could’ve been impacted by the project,” Clark said. “We are actually impacting 42, and a few of them are complete takes on vacant properties.”
For some residents, the road would push two to three feet into their properties.
For others, it could vary, Clark said. He encourages residents with homes along the road to go online at www.mymanatee.org/75th to view the potential impacts on their properties.
Concerns from residents
The meeting was attended by two types of residents: those with concerns who live along 75th Street West and those who use the road to commute.
Pamela Pineda, a Village Green resident on the west side of 75th Street, expressed her concern about the area at the end of 7th Avenue West and the removal of a hedge that has served as a barrier between residents’ homes and the road.
“We’re very concerned about the residents in that particular area. We learned in this meeting that it’s a possibility that our hedge would be taken down, and we wanted to know that we have something in its place,” Pineda said. “Our concern is the safety along the road.”
With 60% of the project finalized, the county currently does not have a barrier in its construction plans.
“We’d love to have a wall, but I don’t think the county is going to do that for use, “ she said. “There have been so many accidents.”
Pineda also said, “People’s bedrooms on that front, and we were concerned about a car coming off the busy street and into our homes.”
Pineda and other residents said they hadn’t had much direct dialogue with the county about the project, but there was a comment station set up during Saturday’s event that she and other residents said they would definitely use to make their voices heard while the project is still in its early stages.
Terry Hirsch, a Bradenton resident who lives near 75th Street, said that she sees how the project can improve traffic flow in West Bradenton.
“I know that section tends to back up because the traffic on Manatee is so packed,” Hirsch said. “So I think this will relieve it, but I don’t think it’ll eliminate it.”
The project wouldn’t directly impact Hirsch’s home, but she attended the meeting out of curiosity about what the project would look like, how long it would take, and why it took so long to start.
She said the project would have the biggest effect on her commute into downtown Bradenton, which she already had to change because of the increased traffic in the area caused by new businesses.
“I’ll have to find a diverting way to get to places. I volunteer at the library and I go downtown, I knew I needed to avoid it (Manatee Avenue) when Target and Wawa opened,” Hirsch said. “Now, evermore so when construction is going on. It’ll be a good improvement, but for the two years that they’re working on it, not so much.”
Community benefits
According to an information sheet given to attendees, improved traffic flow is one of the benefits residents can take advantage of once the project is complete.
Below is a bulleted list of the community benefits.
- Improves vehicular traffic operations and functions of the 75 Street West corridor
- Reduces traffic congestion and improves traffic flow throughout the corridor
- New bicycle and pedestrian features will increase safety for non-motorists and provide local connectivity.
- Provides access to safe and affordable, accessible and sustainable mobility for all roadway users.
For more information on the 75th Street Road Project visit the project’s website, at www.mymanatee.org/75th.
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 6:45 PM.
