- April 19, 2024
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Since August 2015, motorists have navigated construction as the Florida Department of Transportation worked to improve roadway conditions at three major projects on East County roads.
The $196.2 million in improvements at three interchanges with Interstate 75 — State Road 64, State Road 70 and University Parkway — are now complete, and FDOT Interstate Program Manager Kati Sherrard said motorists are enjoying the results.
But, Sherrard said, those efforts aren't likely to completely alleviate traffic woes destined to be caused by unprecedented growth.
Projects like these interchanges — which involve a diverging diamond that replaced the clover interchange at University Parkway, a modified diamond that replaced the previous diamond interchange at State Road 70 and a northwest loop-only interchange that replaced the previous diamond interchange at State Road 64 — do not receive studies until, at minimum, a year after completion.
However, she said when analysis begins late this year or next year, it is likely other changes will be needed.
Sherrard said all three projects are functioning well and as intended, but users already have encountered some issues that are the result of growth outpacing plans.
“The amount of people moving to Florida is staggering,” she said. “It has always been pretty high, but it has not been what you are seeing today.”
Sherrard said studies are not conducted immediately due to the changes to traffic patterns caused by construction. She said drivers might begin taking different routes in order to avoid an area that is under construction. Therefore, FDOT will wait for drivers to become used to the changes in area, and begin realizing that they can once again travel certain routes.
“We want to make sure when we are doing analysis, that the data we're using is accurate, that it’s the best data we can get, and that's why we like to allow a period of time for the areas to normalize,” she said.
Nonetheless, FDOT Communications Specialist Adam Rose said all crashes that take place in those intersections are being documented, and would initiate a study if observed in unusually large numbers.
That hasn't been needed, but will more construction be required in a still growing area that has seen constant work for seven years?
Funding is likely to keep that from happening anytime soon.
“Statewide, generally speaking — not just for this area — the need versus the ability to construct, and meet all of the needs today is very difficult,” Sherrard said.
She said funding simply can't keep up with the growth and the need for better highways. It has led to a rigorous process to select the best projects to implement. She said projects are slated for the future based on analysis that takes into account safety concerns, cost, and public benefit. She called the process of working with local governments on these projects “very complex."
Most projects like these, she said, come as a request from the local metropolitan planning organization such as Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. These organizations are comprised of county and city representatives at the local level, who form regular lists of priorities. Working with these organizations, FDOT will then develop an outline for future projects known as a Long Range Transportation Plan, a plan which she called “a very detailed, very in-depth process that takes several years to complete.”
Sherrard said the plan will involve data on all known planned developments recognized by the county in an area, to update traffic models FDOT uses to assess conditions. She said during work on a major road project, FDOT will also conduct an interim update to its plans, incorporating any new developments in the area.
However, she said FDOT also takes into account other factors such as future traffic patterns, or what is called “traffic demand,” and the growth rate of the area.
All projects must ultimately be approved at the local level, she said.
Sherrard said at this point, it is difficult to foresee what types of developments the future holds for University Parkway and the Lakewood Ranch area.
“It’s trying to predict the future,” she said.
However, she said alternative modes of transportation are an important means of lowering congestion. She said as congestion is based on the number of vehicles using a roadway at any particular time, the key to improving projects is to create easier access.
“You can’t strictly base it on that if you build the road, it will solve the problem,” she said.
According to Sherrard, local means of improving traffic flow include alternative routes, and easier access through developing areas to different features of communities.
She said when it comes to the State Road 70 and State Road 64 interchanges, FDOT has focused on relieving congestion through a future buildout of I-75. Current FDOT initiatives in the East County area of I-75 include the expansion at the Manatee River, which would add four bridge lanes in the area, while also expanding I-75 on the south — or East County — side of the river.
Rose previously said I-75 is an “artery” for the state of Florida.
“It’s an incredibly popular roadway, so, making it less congested is an important consideration for us.”
Sherrard said the interchange at University Parkway is beyond the point where additions could be made. She said the development surrounding the interchange is too well-established, and also that it is not always financially feasible to purchase additional land to expand interchanges.
Sherrard said in the face of congestion, it is also up to local governments to do what they can to improve the flow, through actions such as signal timing adjustments that take into account approaches from different directions.
Although it appears more traffic difficulties are on the way due to growth, Sherrard emphasizes the improvements have made a huge positive difference.
“There is still congestion during the peak hours, for sure," she said. "But you can, visually, see the traffic flow has significantly improved.”
Rose said that despite user concerns about diverging diamonds, like the one at the University Parkway interchange, they enhance safety in the areas in which they are installed. He said such projects limit the area in which head-on collisions can occur by reducing many of the possible points of impact.
“Minimizing the point of impact locations is vital,” he said. “That's a big improvement in the intersection. If we can turn a fatal wreck into a fender bender, we're heading in the right direction. Diverging diamonds are unique, and they’re new, but they do work."
