MANATEE COUNTY, FL (December 18, 2023) – The highly anticipated last link of the 44th Avenue East project is now officially underway, following a groundbreaking earlier this morning. Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) joined with other local leaders to kick off what may be the most visible of the stages of construction.
“It’s going to be an amazing reliever for all of Manatee County,” said Manatee County At-Large Commissioner Jason Bearden, who hosted the event. “This has been in the works for decades, and now we are at the point where we are going over I-75.”
Preparations along this final phase of construction have already begun as crews are mobilizing heavy equipment and driving support pilings for the construction of the final segment extending 44th Avenue East from the west side of I-75 to the east side of the highway.
The 44th Avenue East extension has been built in project phases starting in 2013. This represents the final stage of construction for the $160 million project which has been designed with a capacity for an additional 36,000 vehicles per day. Once completed, it will significantly reduce demand on parallel thoroughfares (SR 64 and SR 70) by a combined 21,000 vehicles per day.
“It’s really going to help my district because it will give us the thoroughfare between the other two thoroughfares,” said District 5 Commissioner Ray Turner. “This is going to give a lot of relief east-to-west.”
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