Land O’ Lakes residents can soon step aboard buses on a special circular route through the community.
By May 22, Pasco County expects to begin the new route. A tentative ribbon cutting will be on May 18 at a bus stop at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
The first buses would roll a few days later.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)
The announcement came at a March 9 board meeting of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization in Dade City.
Previously, county officials had hoped to begin the route in March.
“This is going to be another win for Pasco County,” said Kevin Hoyt, the county’s transportation operations manager. “We are all extremely excited.”
The route will move north on U.S. 41 with bus stops that include the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, the post office, Land O’ Lakes High School and the detention center.
A loop eastward along State Road 54 will have stops at Collier Commons and the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.
There also will be a stop at the Target Super Store on North Dale Mabry Highway, where riders can transfer to buses operated by the Hillsborough County Area Regional Transit system, known as HART.
The Land O’ Lakes circulator route is one of three the county put on its 2017 list of capital improvement projects.
Estimated costs for the circulator route were about $300,000 a year for operations, and a one-time purchase of a bus at a cost of about $110,000.
Two other routes along State Road 54 and in the Moon Lake area of New Port Richey already are operating.
Published March 22, 2017
