Local officials vent frustration about traffic congestion on Manatee River bridges
MANATEE -- Manatee County residents living north of the Manatee River can see Manatee Memorial Hospital but the traffic congestion makes it almost impossible to get there, the Palmetto mayor said Monday.
"It is very difficult for Palmetto to continue along this same vein," Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant said at Monday's Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting. "I understand all the technicalities of how we have to go but let's face it people, north of the river we can look at the hospital but we cannot get there."
Bryant was one of several local elected officials who expressed frustration during Monday's meeting about the lack of progress being made on solutions to address the traffic congestion between Palmetto and Bradenton. Florida Department of Transportation delivered an update about the Central Manatee Network Alternatives Analysis, which is looking at 13 square miles and will "address local and regional travel needs while supporting broader economic development goals," according to study materials.
"I don't want to kick the can down the road anymore," Bryant said. "This is serious to us. It's not just a bridge. There are a lot of little different things that can be done and modified to help to alleviate this big pressure valve that has been built up here. ... This continues on and on and we need help. North of the river is being underserved and we are very upset about it."
On Thursday, FDOT is having a visioning workshop from 5-7 p.m. at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, One Haben Blvd., Palmetto, to get more public input. The project boundaries are 26th Street West on the west, Ellenton-Gillette Road on the east, 17th Avenue West on the south and 17th Street West on the north.
"You are going to hear from north of the river because we are tired of it," Bryant said.
Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said she sees the traffic congestion when she looks out of her office window.
"It's not just replacing a bridge," she said. "It's going to be many things that have to be accomplished. ... This is something that we are going to have to take action on sooner than later and it's a multi thing that's going to have to be done."
A big part of it will be changing how people in Manatee County, who tend to use cars, travel, Baugh said.
"I think we need to put our thinking caps on and see what we can start working on today to start alleviating some of it," she said.
While possible solutions will begin to be developed and evaluated in the next phase of the study, some improvements have already been programmed in the FDOT work program, including the Green Bridge multi-use trail project and a roundabout at 14th Avenue West and 17th Street West in Palmetto.
But the need for another bridge could be one solution that results from the study. While the Green Bridge still has 22 years remaining of its service life, it would be more economical to replace the DeSoto Bridge, which is at the end of service life, than to repair it in the long term, a FDOT official said Monday.
There needs to be another route of transportation across the bridge, said MPO chairman Patrick Roff, a member of the Bradenton City Council.
"We do have a problem," he said. "We have a very serious problem."
Also on Monday, the MPO:
Approved a motion in support of the Southwest Coastal Regional Trail, which would run from the Pinellas Trail in St. Petersburg to Naples, as the next major priority corridor for Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network funding and adding the trail to the MPO's priority list for SUN Trail funding. On Thursday, the Florida Greenways and Trails Council will determine which one of the seven eligible corridors, which includes the SCRT, will be the next major priority to receive the funding.
Learned that FDOT will provide 80 percent of the cost for the mainland-to-islands transportation study. FDOT officials have previously estimated the study to cost $675,000 to look at possible improvements to address seasonal traffic congestion between Manatee-Sarasota and the barrier islands.
Heard an update about the Coon Key Bridge Slab Replacement maintenance project, which "consists of replacing two bridge deck spans on westbound Coon Key Bridge (going toward St. Armand's Circle)," according to project materials. Construction will begin next week and one lane closure is expected during construction.
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 4:53 PM with the headline "Local officials vent frustration about traffic congestion on Manatee River bridges ."