A new section of Parrish’s Fort Hamer Road opens this week, and there’s more to come
A missing link in the Parrish road system opens this week.
Starting Friday, the orange construction barrels along a new section of Fort Hamer Road at U.S. 301 will be removed and drivers will be able to drive north to North River Trail, a distance of 3.65 miles.
Making the drive possible is the completion of a two-mile section of Fort Hamer Road, which connects with a previously completed section. That section, north and south of Moccasin Wallow Road, already serves Parrish Community High School and North River Ranch.
Neal Land & Neighborhoods, in partnership with Manatee County, designed and built the new section of Fort Hamer Road at a cost of $16 million.
Neal is is the developer of North River Ranch, the largest master planned community in the Parrish-North River area, one of Manatee County’s growth hot spots. North River Ranch is projected to eventually have a population of about 30,000.
“There is a need for north-south roads as an alternative to Interstate 75,” said John Neal, president of Neal Land & Neighborhoods.
Eventually, Fort Hamer Road will be extended north to Buckeye Road and the Hillsborough County line, he said.
It’s already possible to drive south on Fort Hamer Bridge, across the Fort Hamer Bridge to Upper Manatee River Road and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to Fruitville Road in Sarasota County..
Neal was able to build the new section of road at a cost savings of 30% to taxpayers of what government might have paid, he said.
Previously, the Neals completed several other notable road projects, among them the extension of Honore Avenue between University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road and four-laning U.S. 301 south of Parrish.
Moccasin Wallow Road
Neal is also helping widen Moccasin Wallow Road which is at the heart of growth in the Parrish area.
In addition to the new development, Moccasin Wallow Road connects SeaPort Manatee to the state road network.
The Moccasin Wallow Road widening project consists of 6.5 miles of roadway between U.S. 41 and U.S. 301. The improvement project will widen the existing two-lane roadway to four-lanes.
Plans include the addition of bicycle lanes, sidewalks and a shared-use path. The project is designed to expand travel lanes in the future, eventually making Moccasin Wallow Road a six-lane divided urban roadway.
Also planned: a roundabout at Moccasin Wallow Road and U.S. 301, designed to improve user safety and traffic flow.
Fort Hamer Road
A critical part of the north-south road is the two-lane Fort Hamer Bridge, which was completed in 2017, opening up more development in Parrish. But also creating new traffic log jams, especially in morning and late afternoon hours.
Although there is no timeline for building another two-lane bridge there, Manatee County government has requested $3 million in federal funds to go with a $3 million local match for design and permitting.
“The second bridge, which would be parallel to the existing bridge will double the capacity of this essential north-south thoroughfare. It is a critical component of the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, Upper Manatee River Road, and Fort Hamer Road corridor that will span east Manatee County,” according to then county.
“This corridor plays an ever-increasing role as a parallel reliever for I-75 and provides regional connections among Manatee, Sarasota, and Hillsborough counties.”
Ceremonial opening
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Fort Hamer Road extension is set for 10 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Erie Road and Fort Hamer Road.
Speakers include County Commissioners James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge. Also attending will be representatives from road builders Woodruff & Sons, Stantec engineers and HCA Healthcare, which is building a hospital in North River Ranch.
This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 1:38 PM.
