Manatee County’s multi-year Interstate 75 improvement project is approaching completion of the next phase.
The Florida Department of Transport announced plans to open two new lamps between the I-75 and US 301 in Ellenton later this week. According to an FDOT spokesperson, each ramp is a bridge that spans the width of the Manatee River.
The construction project has been underway since 2021. Transport officials say the new ramp is expected to cut traffic and improve safety near the busy US 301 and I-75 intersection.
A new I-75 bridge will open in Manatee County this week
The I-75 will open from the new US 301 Southbound-on ramp at 6am Thursday, according to a news release.
“Drivers driving 301 Southbound in the US will turn left at a new traffic light (under the I-75 overpass) and use the new on-ramp for the southbound I-75,” the release said.
The previous southbound ramp on the US 301, connected to the I-75 Southbound, will be closed forever.
The I-75 Northbound Off-Ramp to US 301 is scheduled to open on Friday. Vehicles moving north on I-75 will need to access US 301 using new exit ramps on the Manatee River, the release said.
The ramp is a new bridge running parallel to the Trooper JD Young Memorial Bridge, with the new exit being about a mile south of the previous exit.
The northbound off-ramp will open at 6am on Friday
FDOT, a new ramp designed to improve safety and traffic, says
“The new bridge-off ramp opening eliminated traffic backups to the I-75, and I was experiencing it on the US 301 off ramp on the old I-75,” a spokesman for FDOT told Bradenton Herald. “The long bridge will provide longer queues at interchanges, allowing for safer traffic movements. By eliminating old loop ramps and providing off-ramps and signalized intersections on US 301, weaving Eliminating movement has made it more safe.”
Transportation officials announced a $145 million project in 2020, and construction began in 2021, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
The redesign of the I-75-US 301 interchange started from partial clover leaves to diamond composition, according to a previous Herald report.
The US 301 Reconfiguration is part of the FDOT project aimed at improving the I-75 from Moccasin Wallow Road to University Parkway. The project also includes an expansion of I-75 and improved replacements at multiple I-75 exits in Manatee County.
Further expansion is planned for I-75
FDOT has spent hundreds of millions of people improving the I-75 interchange at State Road 64, State Road 70 and University Parkway.
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The expansion plan would turn the I-75 into a 10-lane highway. This includes two Express lanes in either direction and three regular lanes in each direction.
A FDOT study found that I-75 in Manatee County needs additional capacity as population and traffic increases are expected. The study stated that Manatee County’s I-75 service level will operate as “F” before 2035 without widening the road. According to FDOT, the “F” code is the worst, indicating travel demand exceeds capacity.
