BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) – The Florida Department of Transportation has announced it would prefer a total replacement for the DeSoto Bridge connecting Bradenton and Palmetto, a $916 million, six-lane bridge with an elevated expressway on top.<\/p>\n
Current bridge and proposed changes<\/p>\n
The DeSoto Bridge extends U.S. Highway 301 over the Manatee River and has long carried both regional and local traffic between the two cities.<\/p>\n
The bridge currently has four lanes, two in each direction. FDOT\u2019s preferred alternative calls for six lanes, three each way, plus shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists, and two elevated express lanes in the center. <\/p>\n
The elevated lanes would carry drivers up and over parts of downtown Bradenton and Palmetto.<\/p>\n
FDOT said the project will address growing traffic demands and improve safety on the crossing.<\/p>\n
Why FDOT says express lanes are needed<\/p>\n
FDOT\u2019s study found that about 47% of daily traffic simply passes through, never stopping in either city. The elevated express lanes would separate that through-traffic from local drivers.<\/p>\n
City officials said a preview of what the design could look like can be seen on the Gandy flyover in Tampa, a similar design they said has proven it can move traffic.<\/p>\n
Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown described his experience driving the Gandy flyover.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the way up we went underneath. Turned left it was rolling very well at 4:30 in the afternoon and then at night we came home after a Manatee High football game and there was no traffic on it because it was about 10:30 at night,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it just flew, so I didn\u2019t have to stop at the traffic lights underneath,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
Brown said the project would also make downtown streets more pedestrian-friendly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to cut a community in half where you don\u2019t want to go to the other side. This will make it where there will be crosswalks, there will be ways to get over there,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
Impact on local businesses<\/p>\n
Paul Mattison, owner of Mattison\u2019s Grille near the bridge, said traffic has long been a problem for the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a concern, it\u2019s been an issue for a long time. There is a lot of traffic that moves through here, I mean it\u2019s U.S. 301, it\u2019s a major artery through Florida,\u201d Mattison said.<\/p>\n
Mattison said he first heard about the idea of an elevated roadway years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the word flyover, of building some type of elevated road that if you\u2019re not stopping, if you\u2019re not local traffic and you are just traveling through, that there is an alternative like an express lane,\u201d Mattison said.<\/p>\n
That idea has turned into FDOT\u2019s preferred alternative. Mattison said improved traffic flow on the bridge could benefit his business.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce it\u2019s finished, yes, I could see it giving more attention and more access to being able to get to us,\u201d Mattison said.<\/p>\n
What happens next<\/p>\n
The plans are not final. A \u201cno build\u201d option remains on the table, which would push the improvements back and later phases of the project have not been funded yet.<\/p>\n
Public comments now go to FDOT\u2019s Environmental Management Office. If the study is accepted, the DeSoto Bridge project moves into the design phase.<\/p>\n
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