'Those Days Are Over': Manatee County residents voice traffic concerns as growth continues

BRADENTON, Fla. — Sally Rigo has developed a strategy for her daily commute in Manatee County: always use Waze.

"We're always going over one of the two bridges. We always recommend that everybody uses Waze or some type of navigation system, because if one is blocked, the other typically isn't," said Rigo, who lives in Palmetto.

WATCH: 'Those Days Are Over': Manatee County residents voice traffic concerns as growth continues

She's not alone in navigating around congestion. At Tampa Bay 28's community listening event in Bradenton last Monday, traffic and infrastructure emerged as top concerns among residents—especially during snowbird season when the county's population swells.

'Those Days Are Over'

Edmund Sanford has watched Manatee County transform since he arrived in 1979.

"In the summertime you could go anywhere you wanted in town in 15 minutes, but those days are over," Sanford said.

The change is particularly noticeable during peak season. County data shows Manatee gains approximately 75,000 additional residents during snowbird season—all of whom use local roads.

"I could walk out the door and go across the street and not look left or right. If I try that now, I might get mowed over by a car," Sanford said. "The population is so much more dense."

Development Concerns

Ted Stenerson, who lives between Manatee Avenue and Cortez Road—two of the area's busiest corridors—expressed concern about new residential developments.

"I'm a little concerned sometimes when they put in the new subdivisions with another 10,000 homes," Stenerson said.

Tampa Bay 28 took these concerns directly to Manatee County officials, asking four key questions about traffic planning, seasonal congestion, long-term growth strategies, and alternative solutions.

County Response: Traffic Studies Required

In response to questions about new developments, staff from the Manatee County Transportation Planning and Traffic Management Division confirmed that traffic impact studies are required before large residential projects break ground.

The type of study depends on the application:

For early-stage applications (Comprehensive Plan Amendments, General Development Plans, Preliminary Site Plans with Rezone, and Rezones), developers must submit a Multimodal Site Access and Safety Analysis (MSASA).

According to the county, "The MSASA should identify the impacts not only on the first impacted thoroughfare(s) but also on the study area with context classification and propose mitigation strategies for those impacts on the first thoroughfare(s). The analysis should also identify the location of the proposed access points."

For final site plans, a Trip Reservation Report/Operational Analysis (TRR/OA) is required to evaluate access point locations, spacing, and configuration.

Planning for Peak Season

Addressing concerns about seasonal congestion, county officials explained their planning approach accounts for the influx of winter residents.

"Our planning approach accounts for peak-season conditions in two ways," the county stated. "Broad planning—such as determining how many lanes a corridor will ultimately need—is based on peak-season daily traffic volumes. More detailed operational studies—such as those for intersection turn lanes, signal timing, or other localized improvements—use average peak-hour traffic during peak season."

The county said this approach "helps us target improvements that match how the system behaves when demand is highest."

The 2050 Plan

When asked about long-term transportation planning, the county referenced the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

"Long-term needs for our region are outlined in the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), which identifies future transportation needs and the portion that can be funded," county officials said.

2050 LRTP Summary Report by Tampa Bay 28

At the county level, the Comprehensive Plan includes a Traffic Circulation Element that "identifies planned roadways and right-of-way needs under a range of growth scenarios."

The plan includes new road and trail connections, as well as traffic management technologies "to optimize signal operations, enhance driver information, and identify safety needs," according to the county.

"Some of these strategies enhance the existing network, and others support long-term safety and mobility improvements," officials stated.

What About Public Transit?

Regarding alternative solutions such as expanded public transportation, the county acknowledged the challenges.

"Public transportation is challenging to operate efficiently in areas with lower density and dispersed land uses, but the county continues to explore options," officials said.

The county said it evaluates "a wide range of options, including transit, roadway connections, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and technology-based traffic management tools."

Residents Want to Be Heard

For Joe DeVito, who lives in Bradenton, the listening event itself was significant.

"Right now it's awesome and most of the snowbirds are gone, so the traffic's not really bad," DeVito said. "Just seeing you out here is pretty nice actually."

Residents identified Manatee Avenue, Cortez Road, and the bridges over the Manatee River as particularly congested areas during peak season.

YOUR TURN

What's your experience with traffic in Manatee County? Have you noticed changes in congestion? What would help your commute? Share your thoughts in our Tampa Bay 28 Facebook community news page or email them to Haley at haley.zarcone@tampabay28.com.