Work to rebuild Interstate 75/State Road 64 interchange in Bradenton scheduled to begin summer 2017
MANATEE -- Work to rebuild the Interstate 75/State Road 64 interchange is expected to begin next summer, a Florida Department of Transportation official said Monday.
Costing approximately $47 million and taking 2.2 years to complete, FDOT will build the interchange into a modified diamond interchange design, according to project materials.
"We are anticipating to start moving dirt in the summer of 2017," FDOT project manager Jeff Mednick told the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization at Monday's meeting.
With no right-of-way acquisition required, the project was able to be advanced in the work program, Mednick said. Design is expected to be completed this summer and the stormwater and environmental permits are currently in agency review.
On April 14, FDOT will have a public information meeting on the project at The Source Church, 5412 E. State Road 64, Bradenton, from 5-7 p.m.
About 7 miles south from this interchange Florida's first Diverging Diamond Interchange project is under construction at the University Parkway interchange. The $74.5 million project at I-75/University Parkway is expected to completed in time for the 2017 World Rowing Championship at nearby Nathan Benderson Park from Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 2017.
Similar to the University Parkway interchange, the SR64 interchange will be reconstructed to "increase capacity and improve the level of service," according to a FDOT powerpoint presentation.
About 200,000 vehicles traveled on I-75 over SR64 daily on average in 2012, which is what was used for the project. In that year, 34,500 cars traveled on an average day on SR 64 east of I-75 and there were 43,500 vehicles that traveled on SR64 between 64th Street and I-75 on an average day.
In addition to rebuilding the interchange from its existing partial cloverleaf design, other interchange improvements will include "replacement of entrance and exit ramps and will add emergency stopping sites on the exit ramps," according to agenda materials.
Safety enhancements as part of the project include eliminating the loop ramp in the northeast quadrant and combining all I-75 northbound traffic onto a single ramp in the southeast quadrant, providing left and right turns under signal control, according to the powerpoint. These enhancements eliminate "the existing weave condition and provides safer traffic movements," according to the powerpoint.
Sidewalks and buffered bike lanes will also be added as part of project's safety enhancements.
Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said she was excited to see this project.
"These improvements are well needed," Baugh said. "It is going to be much nicer and easier flow on 64. It is a good thing."
As the major entranceway into the city of Bradenton, this project is very important, Commissioner Betsy Benac said, adding that there is some new development planned out there.
"This is a great safety improvement," Benac said. "It is going to be very important. I think this is something that is really going to be a benefit for the city and Manatee County so thank you for moving it up."
Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson
This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Work to rebuild Interstate 75/State Road 64 interchange in Bradenton scheduled to begin summer 2017 ."