County Produces Tailored Long Range Transportation Plan

BRADENTON – Transportation Planning Division Manager Clarke Davis presented the Manatee County Commission with a preview of the county's 2016 transportation program priorities at Tuesday's BOCC meeting. Two new additional specific projects are in need of funding, said Davis, who also explained other major project priorities during his presentation.

The Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) requests that each agency review its project priorities prior to MPO Board adoption. Davis' report provided the staff-recommended priority list for 2016. Project priorities selected for funding from this list will appear in FY21 or FY22 of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) five-year program approved by the legislature in 2017.

The first on Davis' list was for additional Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) improvements that will enhance the county's ability to route traffic during incidents and to collect traffic data using monitoring cameras and vehicle detection. Staff recommended cutting areas of the program that required additional personnel to keep the project feasible.

The second new project was a redesign of a multimodal project that was approved last year. That proposed project was to implement pedestrian crossings on U.S. 41, in the area of the Airport and the University of South Florida. A redesign of the project would include a roundabout and landscaping if funding supports it.

Another project comes from the MPO's adoption of the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) which changed funding on some projects previously eligible for but now in question. Two of the projects are 60th Ave East and 44th Avenue East. They are now considered feasible using local funds, either through the county's capital improvement program or funded by developers.

The 15th Street Project Development and Environmental Study (PD&E) is near completion and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) expects to have a public hearing in April 2016. The alternative plan is for a two-way road with a center lane for left turns and a series of roundabouts and signals. This project is also in need of funding. The 4.6 mile corridor has an estimated cost of $18 million for right-of-way and $46 million for construction.

1. Motion – Adopt "Table 1. Manatee County 2016 Transportation Project Priorities" and authorize Staff to transmit Table 1 to the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Florida Department of Transportation for the State's 2016 Work Program development process.– Approved, Unanimous

2. Motion – Approve Section A of "Table 2. Comparison of 2035 and 2040 Cost Feasible Projects" as the major project priority list for Manatee County under the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan. – Approved, Unanimous

3. Motion – Authorize Staff to coordinate with the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Florida Department of Transportation to implement the 15th St E project in sections with the 63rd Ave E to 49th Ave E section as the highest priority. – Approved Unanimous

4. Motion – Authorize Staff to initiate a work program amendment to replace the "Emergency Vehicle Priority System" project with an "Advanced Traffic Management System Fiber Network and Incident Monitoring" project. – Approved, Unanimous

Commissioner Bustle noticed that the Ft. Hammer Road project and the Upper Manatee River Road project were listed separate in the revised (2040 LRTP) but were listed together in the 2035 LRTP. Bustle made a motion to have both projects listed together in the revised 2040 LRTP. – Approved, Unanimous