ELLENTON, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is opening two major interstate ramps in Manatee County Thursday and Friday, that will reduce commute times and lead to fewer accidents. 

The U.S. 301 and Interstate 75 interchange has been reconfigured with two new ramps to reduce traffic backups and shorten merge lanes that have been difficult to navigate as the area has grown.

On Friday, the new exit ramp from northbound Interstate 75 to U.S. Highway 301 will open.

The DOT on Thursday is opening the southbound entrance ramps to I-75 from U.S. 301. The DOT is warning drivers the new southbound ramp will require a left-hand turn off U.S. 301, not a right turn on to the now closed loop ramp.

Alex Ruiz, a DOT Senior Project Engineer, said the construction project has been four years in the making.

“The merging area was so short, with the current one that we are getting rid of, there was a lot of weaving, people changing lanes,” Ruiz said. “So now you have 4 miles if you want to get off on the ramps. It also helps with the speed because people can get going a little faster because there isn’t so much weaving, so that also helps minimize accidents.”

The ramp entrance is located a mile south of the old one, with the DOT building a new bridge over the Manatee River to keep through traffic separated from exiting traffic.

Despite the new ramps opening, construction on U.S. 301 will continue as the DOT builds new sidewalks, repaves and re-stripes the road.

The ramp entrance is located a mile south of the old one, with the DOT building a new bridge over the Manatee River to keep through traffic separated from exiting traffic. (DOT image)