FDOT to widen State Road 64

MANATEE COUNTY — The Florida Department of Transportation is readying to start improvements to State Road 64 in the East County.

The FDOT on Dec. 29 awarded a $12.7 million contract to Naples-based Better Roads Inc. to widen 2.5 miles of State Road 64. Construction is expected to start in March.

“Completion of this project will provide a continuous six lane connection from downtown in the city of Bradenton and the gulf beaches to I-75,” FDOT spokesperson Lauren Hatchell said. “State Road 64 will be widened to accommodate current and future traffic demands which are expected to continue to grow, and the design for this project also allows for the potential to construct eight lanes in the future.”

The project will widen the divided roadway from four to six lanes from just west of Carlton Arms Boulevard to just west of Interstate 75. Improvements include milling and resurfacing the existing roadway and widening the outside to accommodate three 12-foot-wide travel lanes, a 5-foot bike path, outside curb and gutter with drainage swales, and a sidewalk in both directions.

Hatchell said it is especially important to manage congestion along S.R. 64 and minimize travel delays, because the roadway is a designated Hurricane Evacuation route.

FDOT’s contract with Better Roads Inc. is for 450 days, putting an estimated completion of the project in May 2013.

Six signalized intersections are located within the project’s boundaries. Of those, five will require signal mast arm replacements, Hatchell said.

The FDOT has been working to improve S.R. 64 from 12th Street West to 15th Street West in Bradenton since the summer of 2010. The project, which includes resurfacing, signalization, decorative lighting and other improvements, has resulted in temporary lane closures as contractor Gibbs & Register, Inc. works to finish work by early 2012.

Hatchell said the project is unrelated to the widening project that is beginning farther east.

For more information on the project, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].