MANATTEE COUNTY, fla — Starting Wednesday, drivers looking to travel through Manatee County in less time will take a different route.
At 6 a.m., the new U-S 301 Northbound on ramp to I-75 southbound is opened for drivers. Crews opened the new on-ramp at the I-75 interchange and 301 interchange near the Manatee River.
The new on-ramp will mostly impact people who drive between Palmetto and Parrish heading south to the Sarasota region and drivers in Bradenton and Sarasota heading north to Tampa.
The big change is for drivers heading northbound. They will now stay to the right to enter the on-ramp and merge onto I-75 rather than waiting at a traffic signal.
Alex Ruiz with the Florida Department of Transportation said this project creates more of a free flow traffic style for drivers and should be a huge help in reducing traffic jams.
“It’s very heavy traffic, especially now with in season and the mall there," Ruiz said. "It is very heavy traffic until at least March,” Ruiz said.
This on-ramp is just one portion of a bigger project that aims to handle more volume in this region and extend the level of service on I-75 for decades to come.
- Click here to read more about the other proposed improvements.
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