MPO allots funding for interchange

Improvements to the interchange of University Parkway and Interstate 75 officially are on the books.

The Sarasota Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization on Monday unanimously approved changes to the fiscal year 2015 transportation improvement plan. It designated $46.8 million in Manatee County and $36.2 million in Sarasota County in fiscal year 2015 for the construction of a diverging diamond design at the interchange.

The MPO also voted unanimously to include the $83.2 million project in its 2035 long-range transportation plan.

The vote means the Florida Department of Transportation officially has secured funding for the project.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].