FDOT District One Earns Prestigious ACEC Award for I-75 at US 301 Interchange Project

Collaborative Design-Build Modernizes Critical Gateway to Enhance Safety and Smooth Traffic Flow Beyond 2050

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One has been honored with the prestigious American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Outstanding Project Award for the I-75 at US 301 Interchange Design-Build project. The major infrastructure initiative successfully modernized a critical regional gateway, delivering vital safety upgrades and smoother traffic flow to support Southwest Florida’s growing population for decades to come.

The comprehensive project widened I-75, added auxiliary lanes connecting from SR 64, completely reconstructed the US 301 intersections, and constructed new bridges over the Manatee River. Crucially, the new structures are designed to accommodate a future 10-lane configuration, ensuring the corridor can handle regional growth and maintain reliable travel times well beyond the year 2050.

At the core of the project's success was an unwavering commitment to public safety and minimizing disruptions for daily commuters. By utilizing a collaborative Design-Build approach, the project team advanced highly complex construction phases while safely maintaining active traffic movement through one of the region's busiest corridors.

"Every decision we made on this project started with safety and ended with minimizing public impacts," said Alex Ruiz, FDOT’s Corridors Program Construction Manager. "By modernizing this interchange, we have significantly relieved bottleneck congestion on US 301 and I-75. We are improving safety, drive time and overall quality of life for the thousands of families and freight haulers who rely on this corridor every single day."

The intricate project required seamless, real-time coordination between state planners, engineers, and contractors to transform a high-volume bottleneck into a highly functional, forward-looking interchange.

"Accessing and balancing heavy structural construction over the Manatee River while keeping regional traffic moving smoothly required extraordinary teamwork," said Benjamin Clayton, FDOT’s District Consultant Project Management Engineer. "We are incredibly proud of how this partnership allowed us to safely accelerate the build, minimize the impact on local drivers, and deliver an award-winning infrastructure asset that will protect and serve this community for the long haul."

With these extensive enhancements now complete, drivers traveling through Manatee County will experience reduced delays, improved merging safety, and robust infrastructure built to stand the test of time.

For more information on FDOT District One projects and safety initiatives, please visit www.SWFLRoads.com.

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The Florida Department of Transportation’s mission is to provide a safe statewide transportation system that promotes the efficient movement of people and goods, supports the state’s economic competitiveness, prioritizes Florida’s environment and natural resources, and preserves the quality of life and connectedness of the state’s communities.