FDOT launches Cortez Road corridor study

owned Manatee Beach that was approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year. When initially discussed, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge proposed a three-story 1,500 parking space garage costing an estimated $45 million. The garage proposal presented to county commissioners during the work session is expected to cost $30-35 million to build and have about 900 parking spaces. While the actual look of the garage is not yet decided upon, the garage is planned to cover the entirety of the existing beach parking area, including the concession, retail and restroom areas. The new parking garage would include concession, retail, restroom and other facilities.

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The study will focus in part on the relationship between transportation and development along the Cortez Road corridor.

BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

MANATEE COUNTY – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is conducting an extensive study of the Cortez Road corridor from the east end of the Cortez Bridge in Cortez to the tip of U.S. Highway 41 in the West Somerset area.

During the Aug. 1 Council of Governments meeting at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto, FDOT Community Planner and Strategic Intermodal System Coordinator Vitor Suguri and Renaissance Planning Managing Principal Frank

Kalpakis provided county and city officials with an overview of the study and what it hopes to accomplish.

Suguri said the study, in addition to transportation elements, also addresses land use and future development along the corridor and will look at the relationships between transportation and land use. He said land use has a great impact on transportation and vice versa and the goal is to integrate both approaches in the study.

The study’s first phase includes meeting with and gathering insight from city leaders, residents, impacted stakeholders and property owners, developers and others. Public input meetings will be scheduled, but none have been scheduled yet pertaining to the western portion of Cortez Road that leads to Cortez and Bradenton Beach.

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