The Build Alternative includes a new, 12-foot shared use path along both sides of US 41 from the south end of the DeSoto Bridge to 17th St East. At the south end of the DeSoto Bridge, the shared use paths connect to the existing Bradenton Riverwalk. North of the DeSoto Bridge, the shared use paths extend to 7th St East adjacent to riverfront access points, the Palmetto Estuary Preserve, Bradenton Area Convention Center, and bordering businesses and residential areas. At 7th St East, just west of US 41, a connection to a potential extension of the SUN Trail network could be provided; however, this connection is not included as part of the project.

North of 7th St East, the new shared use paths follow the entrance and exit ramps at the US 41 interchange with US 301. The shared use paths are located along the ramps because they provide crosswalks across US 301 at signalized intersections rather than at ramp gores. North of US 301, the new shared use paths cross over the CSX Railroad Short Line on a new structure that separates the paths from the adjacent travel lanes with a barrier. The endpoint of the shared paths is at 17th Street East, next to Lincoln Memorial Middle School and Coach Eddie Shannon Park. Path access between the school and park would continue to be provided by a tunnel suitable for pedestrians and bicyclists under US 41. The shared use path terminus at 17th Street East was selected because it provides connectivity to the Palmetto Youth Center and Martin Luther King Jr Park to the west, and potential expansion of the Palmetto Trails Network to the east. Additionally, 17th Street East serves existing MCAT bus routes.

Sidewalk enhancements under the Build Alternative apply to US 41 between westbound SR 64 and the DeSoto Bridge, where a new 6-foot sidewalk is included along the east side of US 41, where no sidewalk exists, and a new crosswalk across 3rd Ave West to enhance access to existing sidewalks along the west side of US 41.

The proposed express lanes under the Build Alternative improve traffic operations by streamlining north-south travel throughout the project limits and enhance safety because they avoid intersections with cross streets and are separated from the general-use lanes. Further, widening the general-use lanes from four to six between westbound SR 64 to north of 25th St East provides necessary additional capacity. Safety is enhanced at the signalized and non-signalized intersections of the general-use lanes with cross streets because the traffic carried by the proposed express lanes reduces the volume of traffic through the intersections. Also, all left-turning traffic from the general-use lanes is attended by separate left-turn lanes that enhance both operations and safety. The PTAR conducted a comparison of predicted crashes and identified 5,289.9 predicted crashes for the no-build scenario and 4,259.6 predicted crashes in the Preferred

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