Less Manatee County traffic on Interstate 75? FDOT says a big change is almost ready
A multi-year Interstate 75 improvement project in Manatee County is closer to completing its next phase.
The Florida Department of Transportation announced plans to open two new ramps between I-75 and U.S. 301 in Ellenton later this week. Each ramp is a bridge that spans the width of the Manatee River, an FDOT spokesperson said.
The construction project has been underway since 2021. Transportation officials say the new ramps are expected to reduce traffic and improve safety near the busy U.S. 301 and I-75 intersection.
New I-75 bridges open this week in Manatee County
At 6 a.m. Thursday, the new U.S. 301 southbound on-ramp to I-75 opens, according to a news release.
“Motorists traveling on U.S. 301 southbound will turn left at the new signal (under the I-75 overpass) to use the new on-ramp to I-75 southbound,” the release said.
The previous southbound ramp on U.S. 301 that connected to I-75 southbound will be permanently closed.
On Friday, the I-75 northbound off-ramp to U.S. 301 is slated to open. Vehicles traveling north on I-75 must use the new exit ramp over the Manatee River to access U.S. 301, the release said.
The ramps are new bridges that run parallel to the Trooper JD Young Memorial Bridge, with the new exit about one mile south of the previous exit.
The northbound off-ramp opens Friday at 6 a.m.
New ramps designed to improve safety and traffic, FDOT says
“With the new bridge off-ramp opening, it will eliminate the traffic backups onto I-75 that we used to experience at the old I-75 to US 301 off-ramp,” an FDOT spokesperson told the Bradenton Herald. “The longer bridge also allows for longer queues and safer traffic movements at the interchange; whereby eliminating the old loop ramp and providing a signalized intersection at the off-ramp and US 301, we have increased safety by eliminating weaving movements.”
Transportation officials announced the $145-million project in 2020, and construction started in 2021, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
The I-75-U.S. 301 interchange redesign departed from the partial cloverleaf to a diamond configuration, a previous Herald report said.
The U.S. 301 reconfiguration is part of an FDOT project that aims to improve I-75 from Moccasin Wallow Road to University Parkway. The project also includes widening I-75 and improving interchanges at multiple I-75 exits in Manatee County.
More expansion planned for I-75
FDOT spent hundreds of millions to improve I-75 interchanges at State Road 64, State Road 70 and University Parkway, the Herald previously reported.
The widening plan would turn I-75 into a 10-lane highway. That includes two express lanes in either direction and three regular lanes in each direction.
An FDOT study found additional capacity is needed for I-75 in Manatee County due to projected population and traffic growth. The study said without widening the road, the Level of Service for I-75 in Manatee County would operate as an “F” before 2035. An “F” code is the worst and indicates travel demand exceeds capacity, according to FDOT.
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
