On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provided the Bradenton City Council with an update about a study suggesting ideas for replacing the DeSoto Bridge on U.S. 41-301 and adding another bridge on the Manatee River to better manage traffic congestion. The idea of an elevated “flyover” on U.S. 41-301 is generating angst among residents in certain neighborhoods and may result in a civil rights lawsuit.
The agency says about a third of the trips on the DeSoto and Green bridges linking Palmetto and Bradenton do not originate or end in the urban areas. It suggests that where the future DeSoto Bridge makes landfall on both shores that the local traffic remain at ground level and the ongoing traffic get on elevated lanes on which it can avoid signalized intersections and keep moving.
To learn more, visit the Herald-Tribune website.