Will traffic backups disappear on this Florida highway? What to know about improvements
You’re cruising from South Florida toward Tampa on Interstate 75 when suddenly everyone hits the brakes.
Welcome to the Bradenton area, home of the big clog.
We’re never sure what slows up traffic in Manatee County, just south of Tampa Bay. But there’s some good news coming soon: Improvements to I-75, the major north-south highway on the Gulf Coast of Florida, promise to help get things moving better for drivers.
Here’s what to know:
What’s happening on I-75 in Florida?
A multi-year Interstate 75 improvement project in Manatee County is closer to completing its next phase.
The Florida Department of Transportation announced plans to open two new ramps between I-75 and U.S. 301 in Ellenton later this week. Each ramp is a bridge that spans the width of the Manatee River, according to FDOT.
The construction project has been underway since 2021. Transportation officials say the new ramps are expected to reduce traffic and improve safety near the busy U.S. 301 and I-75 intersection.
What to know about the new I-75 bridges
At 6 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, the new U.S. 301 southbound on-ramp to I-75 opens, according to the state.
Drivers traveling south on U.S. 301 will turn left at the new signal, under the I-75 overpass, to use the new on-ramp to I-75 southbound. The previous southbound ramp on U.S. 301 that connected to I-75 southbound will be permanently closed.
At 6 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21, the I-75 northbound off-ramp to U.S. 301 is scheduled to open. Vehicles traveling north on I-75 must use the new exit ramp over the Manatee River to access U.S. 301.
The ramps are new bridges that run parallel to the Trooper JD Young Memorial Bridge, with the new exit about a mile south of the previous exit.
Will traffic and safety improve with the new I-75 ramps?
The new bridge off-ramp opening will eliminate the traffic backups onto I-75 that drivers experienced at the old I-75 to U.S. 301 off-ramp, according to FDOT. The agency said the longer bridge also allows for longer line-ups and safer traffic movements at the interchange, and the closing of the old loop ramp will eliminate traffic weaving.
Other details on the I-75 project
Transportation officials announced the $145-million project in 2020, and construction started in 2021, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
The I-75-U.S. 301 interchange redesign departed from the partial cloverleaf to a diamond configuration.
The U.S. 301 reconfiguration is part of an FDOT project that aims to improve I-75 from Moccasin Wallow Road to University Parkway. The project also includes widening I-75 and improving interchanges at multiple I-75 exits in Manatee County.
More expansion planned for I-75
FDOT spent hundreds of millions to improve I-75 interchanges at State Road 64, State Road 70 and University Parkway, the Herald previously reported.
The widening plan would turn I-75 into a 10-lane highway. That includes two express lanes in either direction and three regular lanes in each direction.
An FDOT study found additional capacity is needed for I-75 in Manatee County due to projected population and traffic growth. The study said without widening the road, the Level of Service for I-75 in Manatee County would operate as an “F” before 2035. An “F” code is the worst and indicates travel demand exceeds capacity, according to FDOT.
