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The Ellenton Traffic Crunch

Sometimes you need to do some quick shopping, but the Brandon Mall or whatever they’re calling it these days just won’t do. You think maybe you’ll head to International Mall, but that Tampa traffic steals your enthusiasm before you can even start the car. Ellenton used to be the move, a nice change of pace, until all the growth and everyone flooding UTC turned that easy 30-minute drive into more of a bring-snacks situation. But fear not, Brandon. Maybe, just maybe, that drive is about to get a little smoother.

The Florida Department of Transportation says it has finished a $143 million upgrade to the I-75 and US 301 interchange near Ellenton. New bridges, wider ramps, extra lanes, and better traffic flow where everything used to bottleneck and test your patience and your brakes. That stretch moves around 50,000 cars a day, so this is not just fresh paint and a good luck sign. The goal is to keep people moving, cut down the stop-and-go nonsense, and reduce crashes in a spot that used to feel like a live stress test.

So here is the good news. The next time you head south for outlet runs, school shopping, or because you convinced yourself you are only going to look and not spend money, you might actually get there without swearing off I-75 forever. Will it fix every traffic headache between here and Manatee County? Of course not. This is Florida, not a Disney ride. But less staring at taillights and more actually getting where you meant to go counts as a win.

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Afraid of The Dark?

Maybe you dress up as a ghost, a monster, or something clever for Halloween, but here’s the real scare: driving through poorly lit intersections with missing crosswalks or invisible stop signs. Tonight’s trick-or-treat shift is coming, and the darker hours bring extra risk. Especially in parts of Brandon where the streetlights skip like bad records.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and county traffic engineers say intersections with lighting gaps, weak signage, or no safe crosswalks are hot spots for crashes after dark. Add in trick-or-treaters darting across roads, drivers distracted by pumpkin-carving photos, and you’ve got the perfect storm for trouble. There are a few corners around Brandon that locals already know too well, like Brandon Boulevard and Grand Regency, where traffic tends to bunch up and headlights seem to vanish just when you need them most.

So here’s the ask for tonight and beyond. Which intersections in Brandon are begging for attention first? Where do you hit the brakes because the lights look like they quit, or you can’t see the crosswalk at all? Tell us and we’ll help shine a light on it. Whether you’re out chasing candy or just trying to get home in one piece, every step matters, and every step should be safe. Stay alert, stay bright, and have a safe Halloween night.

Send your replies to [email protected] 

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