MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County wants to hear from the public as they work on a roadway capacity improvement project to widen part of Lorraine Road in Bradenton.
The goal of the project is to improve safety and alleviate traffic.
It focuses on a 2.8-mile stretch of Lorraine Road, starting south of 59th Avenue and going up to State Road 64.
Ogden Clark from the County Public Works Department said the goal is to increase capacity on the road and improve safety.
"If you drive that road right now, it’s very rural," Clark said. "It has ditches on both sides of the road. It’s very narrow; it only has two lanes.”
The project will turn the existing two lanes into a divided four-lane section with a raised median. This will help relieve traffic congestion.
“Because there’s been so much development in that area, we’ve seen the amount of traffic grow,” Clark said.
He explained that another safety issue is the ditches on the side of Lorraine Road, which will become part of a stormwater system and will be covered once construction starts.
Clark added there will also be safety improvements for pedestrians.
Thursday, Feb. 22, the county is holding a meeting to hear your input from 6 to 8 p.m. at the FDOT Manatee Operations Center. The address is 14000 S.R. 64, Bradenton.
