By Thursday morning, January 10, traffic on I-75 in Manatee County will use a reconfigured northbound exit ramp to access State Road 70 eastbound and westbound.
The exits designated as 217A and 217B will become a combined Exit 217. That means, all traffic wishing to exit northbound I-75 to State Road 70, and travel east or west, will use Exit 217. Previously, Exit 217A was used for eastbound drivers, and Exit 271B for westbound drivers.
The changes are part of an FDOT project to reconstruct the existing I-75 at SR-70 interchange from a partial cloverleaf design to a modified diamond interchange design with a single loop in the northwest quadrant. In addition to the replacement of the entrance and exit ramps, emergency stopping sites will be added on the exit ramps. Also, I-75 is being widened to eight lanes, with three through lanes and an auxiliary lane in each directions, from north of University Parkway to south of State Road 64.
The project also is widening approximately 1.15 miles of State Road 70, from east of Tara Boulevard to west of 87th Street. and adding a 6.5-foot-wide bike lane, 5-foot-wide sidewalks, and high-emphasis crosswalks.
The $80.8 million project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2021.
More information about the project is available here.
