Morning crashes on Interstate 75, Manatee Avenue snarl traffic in Bradenton-Sarasota
Back-to-school traffic may already be in action with two rush hour wrecks on main roads in Manatee County.
Southbound traffic on Interstate 75 is backed up from just before University Road to at least Ellenton after a wreck that sent a white SUV into the left-lane guardrail.
It was listed as a hit-and-run crash with injuries on the Florida Highway Patrol dashboard.
And a wreck in the left lane of Manatee Avenue near I-75 has eastbound traffic backed up.
The FHP dashboard also shows there was a fatal crash that killed a bicyclist and closed the Anna Maria Island bridge on State Road 64 just after midnight. There also was a hit-and-run crash with injuries just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at 14th Street and 27th Avenue.
Bradenton and Sarasota law enforcement have been sharing information this week to encourage safe driving as public schools start class on Thursday.
When school buses stop, traffic in both directions is required to stop — regardless of how many lanes of traffic there are — unless there is a median that has a raised barrier or is wider than 5 feet.
An excessive heat warning also is in effect for Sarasota-Manatee, and it’s the fourth day in a row the weather service has issued a heat advisory or warning. A heat index over 113 degrees is possible.
The National Weather Service office in Ruskin recorded a heat index of 113 just before 5 p.m. on Monday.
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 9:11 AM.
