The purpose of the project is to provide additional capacity and accommodate transportation demand across the Manatee River, specifically between the cities of Bradenton, Palmetto, and the numerous communities in western Manatee County, as part of the regional transportation system. Another project goal is to enhance safety. The need for the project is based on the following criteria:

The geography of Manatee County, particularly surrounding the Manatee River, creates a challenge to transportation infrastructure. The Manatee River divides the western half of Manatee County, separating the City of Bradenton (to the south) and the City of Palmetto (to the north). The roadway network of both cities consists of a grid system that helps distribute traffic across the network on each side of the river. However, only three crossings of the Manatee River exist that connect the Cities of Bradenton and Palmetto and facilitate north-south travel. These three river crossings include:

To better understand travel patterns of the project study area, particularly north-south traffic patterns across the Manatee River, an origin-destination analysis was conducted in May 2025 and compared to the 2014 origin-destination analysis performed as part of the Central Manatee Network Alternatives Analysis (CMNAA) Study. The analysis revealed that the percentage of through trips [defined as trips that start and end outside of the project study area as described above] increased from 31% - 33% in 2014 to 47% in 2025, with most of the area traffic utilizing the DeSoto Bridge to cross the Manatee River. Specifically, 43% of the northbound trips on the DeSoto Bridge and 42% of the southbound trips on the DeSoto Bridge are through trips. Ultimately, north-south area traffic is funneled through the three river crossings and collected and distributed via the local street grid systems on each side of the river. As a result, the capacity of the three river crossings constrains traffic traveling north-south in western Manatee County.

According to FDOT 2024 Florida Traffic Online data, the three river crossings operate at Level of Service (LOS) F indicating that the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes for the three crossings exceed the FDOT target standard of LOS D for State Highway System facilities in urban areas during peak travel hours (Highway Capacity Manual 7th Edition | FDOT Topic No. 000-525-

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