The new Interstate 75 interchange at Overpass Road, in Pasco County, is expected to open by the end of January.
Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley shared that news during the county board’s Jan. 10 meeting.
The new interchange is about 3.5 miles south of State Road 52 in Pasco County.
The new diamond interchange will include a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75, according to information about the project included on the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 7 website.
To accommodate the new interchange, Overpass Road has been widened from two lanes to four lanes between the interstate and Old Pasco Road, and six lanes between the interstate and Boyette Road. Blair Drive has been realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road. McKendree Road has been realigned to connect with Boyette Road.
At the same meeting, County Administrator Mike Carballa told board members that the bid for the next phase of the Ridge Road extension could go out as soon as this winter or spring.
That project will extend the transportation corridor from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.
The first leg of the extension now carries traffic from Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway in Land O’ Lakes. The second leg, which is slated for completion in 2025, will extend Ridge Road over to U.S. 41, also known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.
County officials have pushed for the Ridge Road extension for decades, but encountered legal challenges from environmentalists and faced permitting delays.
Pasco officials persisted in the quest to get the new road, describing it as a critical hurricane evacuation route and as another needed east-west transportation corridor for Pasco motorists.
Officials also have noted that the extension will improve accessibility to a rapidly growing area in Pasco County, as plans move ahead for Moffitt Cancer Center’s Pasco campus, which is expected to attract life science companies and researchers from around the globe.
The campus is in the center of a newly emerging area, known as Angeline, which will feature diverse housing styles, an extensive trail system, the latest in internet technology, schools, a community farm, wetlands and other features.
On other topics:
- Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told her colleagues that the county needs to have an enforcement plan to respond to illegal used car dealerships and storage facilities. She’d also like the board to have a discussion on the issue of short-term rentals. Plus, she informed them of a planned celebration for international business at the board’s Feb. 21 meeting.
- Commissioner Gary Bradford also informed the board that he had spoken at a groundbreaking ceremony for Fire Rescue Station No. 20, on Little Ranch Road. The old station had two bays. This one will have four.
In addition to hearing those updates, the county board:
- Approved an agreement with Asphalt Paving Systems Inc., for the Lacoochee Industrial right of way improvements, segments one and two, for nearly $2.17 million
- Approved a contract for $730,246 with Daikin Applied Americas Inc., to replace the chiller system at the East Pasco Government Center. The 22-year-old chiller HVAC system has outlasted its expected 15-year life cycle and for the past year a rented, temporary exterior chiller system has been used to cool the build. The price includes a 10-year warranty for parts and labor.
- Approved spending up to $69,000 for a Staff Development Day appreciation celebration ceremony for all county employees, planned for Feb. 20
- Approved a contract with Sunbelt Sod & Grading Company for a total of $1.75 million, for as-needed sod over fiscal years 2023 through 2025
- Approved a contract with Daikin Applied for $304,490 for the purchase and installation of five energy recovery ventilators and the installation of a safety railing system in the Charlie Barracks of the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center
Published January 18, 2023
