Residents and commuters in Manatee County will soon notice a shift in speed limits across several local roads. This comes after commissioners gave their approval to a recent ordinance aimed at adjusting these limits.

Chad Butzow, the Director of Public Works, shed light on the catalysts behind this decision. “The initiative to reassess speed limits arose from a variety of triggers,” Butzow noted. “These included requests from citizens, alterations in traffic patterns due to new road constructions, and recommendations from the sheriff’s office.”

At the heart of these changes is a commitment to enhancing public safety. Vishal Kakkad, who manages the traffic engineering division, emphasized the importance of this effort. “Speed significantly contributes to injury rates, and our objective is to reduce that risk,” he stated.

The main goal is to improve public safety.

“Speed is one of the major contributing factors toward injuries, and we want to mitigate that,” said manager of the traffic engineering division, Vishal Kakkad.

The county also wants to create more consistent speed limits for drivers, rather than seeing speeds change from block to block.

“We also applied the idea of driver expectation. We don’t want roads that go ‘On these four blocks, it is one speed, then the next 10 blocks it is this speed,’ so where it makes sense, we try to unify the things as we go,” said Butzow.

The segments of roadways impacted:

1. 26th Avenue West from 14th Street West to 1st Street East/West (U.S. 41) –
   (Proposed 25 mph; Existing 25 mph or Not Posted)
2. 26th Avenue East from 1st Street East/West (U.S. 41) to 51st Street East – (Proposed
   30 mph; Existing 35 mph, 45 mph, & 30 mph)
3. 30th Street East from 38th Avenue East to 44th Avenue East – (Proposed 30 mph;
   Existing 30 mph)
4. 30th Street East from 44th Avenue East to 51st Avenue East – (Proposed 35 mph;
   Existing 40 mph)
5. 30th Street East from 51st Avenue East to State Road 70 – (Proposed 30 mph; Existing
   35 mph)
6. 37th Street East (Mendoza Road) from 16th Avenue East (Canal Road) to 72nd Avenue
   East (Victory Road) – (Proposed 30 mph; Existing 35 mph & 40 mph)
7. 37th Street East from 38th Avenue East to 44th Avenue East – (Proposed 30 mph;
   Existing 40 mph)
8. 37th Street East from 44th Avenue East to State Road 70 – (Proposed 35 mph; Existing
   40)
9. 38th Avenue East from U.S. 301 to 39th Street East – (Proposed 30 mph; Existing 30
   mph, 40 mph, & 45 mph)
10. 38th Avenue East from 39th Street East to Dead End – (Proposed 25 mph; Existing Not
    Posted)
11. 57th Avenue West from 34th Street West to 14th Street West (U.S. 41) – (Proposed 30
    mph; Existing 30 mph & 35 mph)
12. 57th Avenue West from 14th Street West (U.S. 41) to 1st Street East/West – (Proposed
    30 mph; Existing 40 mph)
13. 57th Avenue East from 1st Street East/West to 15th Street East – (Proposed 30 mph;
    Existing 40 mph)
14. 57th Street East (Morgan Johnson Road) from State Road 64 to 44th Avenue East –
    (Proposed 35 mph; Existing 40 mph)
15. Creekwood Boulevard from 44th Avenue East to State Road 70 – (Proposed 30 mph;
    Existing 40 mph & 30 mph)
16. Dam Road from Waterline Road to State Road 64 – (Proposed 35 mph; Existing 45
    mph)
17. Old Tampa Road from U.S. 301 to Ft. Hamer Road – (Proposed 35 mph; Existing 45
    mph)
18. Waterline Road from Rye Road to Dam Road – (Proposed 35 mph; Existing 45 mph)

County officials say it will take some time for new signage to be installed. That work is slated to begin next month.