Florida lawmakers approved $5 million for the design of a new Interstate 75 interchange at Fort Hamer Road, just south of the Hillsborough-Manatee county line. The project would create a new highway access point south of the existing Big Bend Road interchange used by Apollo Beach and Ruskin commuters.
The appropriation follows $7.5 million in state funding approved in 2025, bringing the total design investment to at least $12.5 million, the Tampa Bay Times reported Wednesday, July 16.
Project funding documents cited by the Times target a 2028 construction start and 2030 completion, contingent on full funding.
How the project got here
The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization added the interchange to its Access 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan's Unfunded Needs list in August 2024. TPO staff clarified at the time that the listing does not commit FDOT or local governments to building the interchange but triggers a feasibility study. The newly approved $5 million advances the project from that study phase into active design.
The Manatee County connection
The interchange sits primarily in Hillsborough County but would connect to Manatee County through a possible extension of Fort Hamer Road from Buckeye Road north to the county line. That extension is in Manatee County's long-range transportation plan, but no money has been allocated for it in the county's capital improvement plan.
A Manatee County Government spokesperson told the Times the county supports the interchange but does not plan to help fund it. If the interchange receives full construction funding, the county may then consider paying for its portion of the Fort Hamer Road extension, the spokesperson said.
What it means locally
Project documents say the interchange will relieve regional traffic, connect east-west corridors and improve hurricane evacuation routes. For residents of Apollo Beach, Ruskin and the fast-growing SouthShore Bay and Waterset communities, the project would add a new I-75 access point south of Big Bend Road.
Tal Siddique, a commissioner quoted by the Times, pushed back on social media concerns that the project would attract unwanted growth.
"There's certainly always fears about new infrastructure inviting new growth, but the reality is … you're more responding to growth with a project like this than you are trying to pre-plan," Siddique told the Tampa Bay Times.
Fort Hamer Road widening already in design
Separately, Manatee County has $11.5 million in design work underway to widen the existing 3.8-mile stretch of Fort Hamer Road from Upper Manatee River Road to U.S. 301. The project will convert the two-lane road into a four-lane divided roadway with 6-foot bike lanes, a sidewalk and a 10-foot shared-use path. A new two-lane bridge across the Manatee River is included. The design phase is expected to last until late 2026.
Neal Land & Neighborhoods, which previously partnered with Manatee County to build portions of Fort Hamer Road, told the Bradenton Herald the road would eventually extend north to the Hillsborough County line.
What comes next
The design phase is ongoing with the newly approved $5 million. No public hearing date has been announced for the interchange. Construction remains projected for 2028 if full funding is secured.
