Construction of new University Parkway-Interstate 75 interchange at the Manatee-Sarasota line to start Aug. 3

UNIVERSITY PARK -- The design is complete for the new "diverging diamond" interchange at University Parkway at Interstate 75, and construction is scheduled to start Aug. 3, according to a state transportation agency spokesman.

Officials have sent the plans for review to Tallahassee, and expect the $82 million project will be completed by September 2017, according to Robin Stublen, communications specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Nearby Nathan Benderson Park will host the 2017 World Rowing Championship from Sept. 24 - Oct. 1, 2017, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators, coaches and athletes.

FDOT already has money waiting to finance the entire project, as approved by legislators, said Stublen.

The state transportation agency has taken steps to try to fast-track work in order to avoid gridlock during the rowing championship and during other events at the Sarasota multi-sport park, which is within sight of the interchange.

Among other things, FDOT has ordered a temporary bridge to place in the median of I-75, Stublen said, adding, "This bridge will be used to accelerate the demolition

and construction of the new I-75 bridges."

In May, FDOT will open bids from contractors, he said.

FDOT has also written an incentive into the construction contract: A $5 million bonus if the contractor completes the project by August 2017, Stublen said.

Asked if FDOT engineers expect construction to disrupt commercial activity at the new Mall at University Town Center, which opened last fall, and whether there will be detours around the construction site, Stublen replied, "We do not expect the interchange construction to disrupt commercial activity at the mall or at other business locations."

"There will be lane shifts during construction, but not detours," he added.

Officials settled on the diverging diamond-style interchange because it will be a less-expensive way to improve traffic flow and to reduce congestion, they have said. At a "diverging diamond" interchange, traffic crosses over to the left (opposite) side of the road guided by traffic signals at each crossover.

"The design of the interchange, we hope, would be multimodal ... bike and pedestrian-friendly," said Paul Blackketter, the president of the nonprofit foundation that oversees operations at the park.

The park, located just south of the interchange at 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, hosts 40 sports events annually, including rowing regattas, triathlon and pentathlon competitions, road races and walks, and dragon boat races.

Manatee County Commissioner Larry Bustle was cheered Friday to hear that FDOT had set a start date.

"I'm very happy about it," said Bustle, who also is a member of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, a transportation planning agency for Manatee and Sarasota counties. "Obviously, yesterday, we did a ground breaking for the Fort Hamer Bridge. I'm very happy about the diverging diamond, too.

"I believe it will have a major impact on traffic around University Parkway and I-75, and either side of it," he said.

Asked if he feared construction would aggravate traffic backups, he said, "We'll work our way through it; FDOT has done this a lot, and they try very hard to minimize the impact on businesses. We may be inconvenienced, but just think what it'll be like when it's over with."

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter @sarawrites.

This story was originally published March 21, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Construction of new University Parkway-Interstate 75 interchange at the Manatee-Sarasota line to start Aug. 3."