Project Information

About the Project

Manatee County is conducting a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to identify and evaluate potential improvements along Fort Hamer Road from Upper Manatee River Road to US 301. The purpose of the study is to identify and evaluate potential improvements to this 3.8-mile segment of Fort Hamer Road. These improvements are intended to improve capacity to accommodate future travel demand projected as a result of area-wide population and employment growth. Other goals include enhancing safety conditions and accommodating multimodal activity.

Fort Hamer Road provides a crucial north-south connection across the Manatee River and is currently a two-lane undivided roadway along most of the project corridor. There are marked bicycle lanes and intermittent sidewalks, mainly along the west side of the road. This PD&E study will evaluate and document the benefits, costs, and impacts of widening this portion of Fort Hamer Road to a four-lane divided roadway. In keeping with the objectives of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the proposed improvements may include a shared-use path to enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety and comfort. Accommodating bicycle and pedestrian activity within the corridor is particularly important given that this activity is expected to increase with the growing number of residential developments within this area.

Manatee County is conducting this PD&E study in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other federal and state laws and regulations.

What is a PD&E Study?

A PD&E Study is the formal process that develops and compares alternatives to determine a preferred action that meets project needs, while minimizing impacts to the social, cultural, natural, and physical environments. Engaging the public by sharing and receiving information is a key component of this process and is required by NEPA.

Public Meeting Held

Manatee County held an Alternatives Public Information Meeting, with a live in-person event on January 25, 2024, and a live online event on February 1, 2024. To view what was presented at the meeting, see the Resources page.

Status:

PD&E Study

Study Cost:

$1,200,000

Study Start:

June 2023

Study Completion:

June 2025

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

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The date and time you access our website;

The pages you visit; and

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If You Send Us Personal Information

If you choose to provide us with personal information – as in an e-mail to Fort Hamer Road PD&E Study staff or by completing a form with your personal information and submitting it to us through our website – we use that information to respond to your message and provide you the information you have requested. We treat e-mails the same way we treat letters sent to the Manatee County offices. We are required to maintain many documents for historical purposes, but we do not collect personal information for any purpose other than to respond to you. However, information we receive may be considered public information which is subject to disclosure under Florida law.

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