Construction extended for another 3 months on two East Bradenton roads

The closure of part of Morgan Johnson Road and 44th Avenue in East Bradenton will now be extended to Feb. 28, 2022, Manatee County announced Thursday.

A portion of the connecting roadways have been closed since September, and the project was previously slated to be finished by Dec. 17. But a diversion of resources to other Bradenton area road projects put the project behind schedule.

The current road closure will remain in effect for Morgan Johnson Road and 44th Avenue East, between 38th Avenue East and Caruso Road, until the end of February. Drivers can continue to utilize the detour on 62nd Street East and 38th Avenue East to bypass the road closure.

The construction on the roadway is part of the 44th Avenue East Roadway extension, a capital improvement project that will overhaul infrastructure in the area and add an east-west corridor that passes over the Braden River.

The project will also add bike lanes, roadway lighting and drainage and wastewater improvements. Morgan Johnson and Caruso roads will be realigned to connect at an intersection with traffic signals at 44th Avenue.

The Morgan Johnson/44th Avenue improvements are part of the fifth phase of the extension project. The fifth phase has an estimated cost of $67.8 million and is expected to be complete in the fall of 2022.

Planning for the sixth and final phase of the project, which will extend 44th Avenue over Interstate 75 and complete the east-west corridor between Lakewood Ranch and coastal Manatee County, is expected to be complete in April 2022.

An estimated completion date for the entire capital improvement project has not yet been announced.