Diamond rush

One of the biggest ongoing road construction projects in the region dates back to a meeting of transportation officials nearly a decade ago, in 2007.

That was when Florida Department of Transportation officials first talked about turning the University Parkway interchange at Interstate 75 in east Manatee County into a diverging diamond. A diverging diamond is designed to make traffic flow more efficient, and safer, by reducing the number of red lights. The diverging part happens when two directions of traffic on the non-interstate road cross to the opposite side on both sides of the bridge at the interstate.

Both state and local officials agreed the booming area, gateway to Lakewood Ranch and now the Mall at University Town Center, is a perfect spot for Florida's first DDI. “This area really lends itself to a DDI because of all the activity and traffic,” says FDOT spokesman Robin Stublen.