Which roads have the worst traffic in Manatee County? Here’s how you voted
With more and more people moving to Manatee County, the roads seem more congested than ever.
The Bradenton Herald surveyed readers to determine which roads in Manatee County have the most traffic after global traffic data company INRIX ranked Bradenton and Sarasota as the 30th most congested area in America.
There were 374 people who participated in the poll and picked their worst and second-worst roads for traffic backups.
Cortez Road and Manatee Avenue came out on top, here’s the breakdown:
- Cortez Road - 69 votes
- Manatee Avenue - 62 votes
- U.S. 41 - 46 votes
- State Road 70 - 43 votes
Other roads mentioned were U.S 301, Interstate 75, University Parkway and State Road 64.
Fifty seven of the people who responded said they spend more than 45 minutes in traffic each day, and 39 of them spend an hour or more.
Many said they take back roads to avoid the traffic, but wish to keep those routes secret. Others admit to driving through neighborhoods to cut down on their commute time.
One person said they avoid Cortez Road, “I use the Bayshore roads between U.S. 41 and Cortez Road, but that puts the traffic load through a neighborhood,” and adds, “I’m sorry for the homeowners, though!”
Another person said they stay off the roads altogether, “I try and get items delivered if possible, instead of driving (on Manatee Avenue).”
Manatee Avenue and Cortez are two of the main roads in Bradenton. Residents use these roads to travel through downtown and south Bradenton, west to the beaches, north over the DeSoto and Green bridge to Palmetto, Ellenton and Parrish, and south to Sarasota.
“Downtown Bradenton streets are madnesses [sic] until after 6 pm,” said one of our readers who spends 2 hours in traffic throughout the week. “I have no idea how and why anyone would try to get to the beach on weekends.”
U.S. 41, U.S. 301, I-75, and University Parkway also made our list for worst traffic. One resident said congested roads caused them difficulties getting to work, and another said frustrated drivers are making the highways unsafe.
Here are some of other reader responses:
▪ “I just changed my work schedule to avoid the rush hours. Before, I spent an hour a day on U.S. 301.”
▪ “In the mornings 301 (in Ellenton) getting onto 75 southbound is very slow & extremely dangerous. People are darting in and cutting off other drivers because they don’t want to wait in line to get on the freeway.”
▪ “I drive very little as I am retired. But the time of day means nothing anymore. Things can clog up in a heartbeat any time and anywhere. “
▪ “It took 1 hour to get from northwest Bradenton to Buffalo creek baseball park at 5 p.m. last week.”
▪ “Heading to Palmetto is a total waste of time.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 1:43 PM.
