Smile. You soon could be on the county’s Candid Camera.
Ever wonder why there are cameras at traffic signals throughout other parts of Manatee County, but none on Anna Maria Island? That’s because several years ago, when officials implemented the Advanced Traffic Management System, their plans stopped shy of the three bascule bridges that serve the island.
The reasons were the cost of the program and difficulties associated with running fiber optic cable across the bridges, according to L.K. Nandam, Florida Department of Transportation District 1 traffic operations engineer. But traffic problems on the island during peak season and holidays are forcing officials to rethink that decision.
At the urging of then-Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon, DOT is now talking with local elected officials about ways to reduce traffic congestion on the islands. Reducing bridge openings is one solution being discussed.
Expanding ATMS to the islands also is under consideration, Nandam said. He spoke on the subject May 19 at the Manatee County Board of Commissioners meeting at the county administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
According to the county website, the traffic management center “employs a variety of technology; including traffic detectors, monitoring cameras, and communication systems which will monitor traffic, optimize traffic signal timing, control the flow of traffic, and increase maintenance efficiency by receiving real time information from the field.” Such capabilities would be a boon to the two island police departments on busy holiday weekends.
Both Shearon and Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale attended as Nandam provided commissioners with an update on the feasibility of expanding ATMS to the islands.
One recommendation is to use wireless technology instead of fiber-optic cable on both sides of the bridges. It would work similarly to wireless devices in homes as it transfers data and images to the county traffic management center.
Other data and images would come from cameras and Bluetooth devices installed at each of the five island traffic signals.
Nandam’s preliminary estimate of the project cost is $70,000 for design, $340,000 for construction and $70,000 for device inspection, but the project is not yet funded.
Construction could begin in two to three years. In order for the study to proceed, the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization would need to prioritize it.
Meanwhile, Nandam told County Commissioner John Chappie that traffic snarls at 119th Street and Cortez Road West in Cortez, where no traffic camera exists, could be remedied by adding another lane, as either a safety project or through the Cortez Bridge reconstruction project.
“We get a lot of complaints on that one,” Chappie said of the busy intersection.
