Construction on I-75, US 301 interchange to ease traffic in Manatee County
ELLENTON, Fla. - From the waterfront seats at Woody’s River Roo, diners can judge the traffic from where they sit.
"Getting on and off the ramps can get pretty congested," said Robert Halsted.
That's what many experience during rush hours, including Woody’s General Manager Robert Halsted.
"It definitely puts you behind quite a bit," he said.
But ongoing construction is working to reduce those frustrations.
"We see it; we experience it," Alex Ruiz said. "We are also residents in the area so we get into the traffic jams just as anybody else."
Alex Ruiz is a senior construction project manager for the Florida Department of Transportation.
He gave FOX 13 a look at the $155 million project that widens I-75 and includes two bridges that will help move traffic from U.S. 301 in Ellenton.
"What we are looking for is getting the traffic from 301 onto their own lanes outside of the I-75 lanes," he said.
The construction will create an eight-lane divided roadway. Once complete, southbound drivers will have their own lane from U.S. 301 onto I-75.
They will only have to merge after State Road 64.
"Everything is about easing the congestion not just on I-75, but 301 it’s fairly worse," said Ruiz.
Getting onto I-75 from U.S. 301 will be a bit smoother.
The southbound entrance ramp is being transformed into a diamond shape, making it faster for drivers to get on and off. The southbound bridge is expected to be open by the fall of 2024.
The work on the new bridge for the northbound exit for Ellenton will be finished by the end of the year.
"We see the need, and it’s so rewarding when we open the job, and we see the difference in traffic, how it moves," said Ruiz.
Once the bridges are open, FDOT will work on redoing U.S. 301 and rehabbing the existing bridges on I-75.
The entire project should be finished by the summer of 2025.