Two Major Roadway Projects Approved by Manatee Commission

BRADENTON – In a regular meeting Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission adopted two resolutions related to roadway improvement. The approved plans will bring enhancements to Moccasin Wallow Road and 43rd Street West at its intersection with Manatee Avenue–two traffic areas of significant concern.

The widening and expansion of the east end of Moccasin Wallow Road will be completed with a state-funded grant and agreement with FDOT. The roadway–which is a hurricane evacuation route–will undergo widening to create four lanes with median and bike lanes, and its expansion will connect Moccasin Wallow from 115th Street East to US 301. The plan also includes a trail and sidewalks, as well as lighting.

Resolution R-22-011 to authorize the use of the state-funded grant for Moccasin Wallow Road improvements and expansion passed unanimously.

The 43rd Street West and Manatee Avenue intersection improvement was a project approved to be added to the county’s transportation category of the previously approved infrastructure sales tax project list. The county intersection has a history of significant traffic congestion, with a Walgreens at one corner, Jessie P. Elementary at the other, and a shopping plaza with a Publix grocery, as well as Saint Stephen's Epsicopal School within less than a block. The traffic congestion is anticipated to only increase since the City of Bradenton’s approval of a Chik-Fil-A restaurant at the intersection. The project is projected to cost $3,318,162.

The addition of the 43rd Street Intersection Improvement Project was also approved by the board unanimously in Tuesday's meeting. Two projects totaling$698,000 were removed from the infrastructure sales tax project list,75th Street West at 53rd Avenue West, and 53rd Ave W from 25th Street to US 41.