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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Blair Drive

Construction crews busy on area road projects

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Anyone who drives around Pasco County on a regular basis knows there aren’t many east-west roads that cut through the county’s vast expanse, and that it isn’t   a bit unusual to have to wait in traffic.

There are a number of projects, however, that are in the works, on the drawing board, or have been recently completed that are aimed at making life easier for Pasco motorists.

Of course, as more development arrives, more drivers use local roads — so complaints about “too much traffic” and “not enough roads” may persist, at least for the foreseeable future.

But, here is a look at some of what’s happening on the local transportation scene.

A diverging diamond interchange is under construction at the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange. The project, expected to wrap up by late 2021, aims to keep traffic flowing at the busy interchange.

Diverging Diamond Interchange
The diverging diamond interchange, currently in development, will reconfigure the current interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 to improve traffic flow at a location that frequently is bottlenecked, especially during peak traffic periods. Work on the $33 million project began in January 2019 and is expected to be completed by late 2021. For more details, visit FDOTTampaBay.com/project/262/430573-1-52-01.

Ridge Road Extension
Construction is expected to begin in January on the Ridge Road Extension, a project that Pasco County has been seeking to build for two decades. The project will create a third east-west corridor in the county, extending existing Ridge Road from Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway, initially, and then to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The extension will give drivers who are heading east or west across Pasco a new option. Currently, motorists heading east and west use State Road 52 or State Road 54. It also will be another evacuation route in the event of an emergency.

However, environmentalists have expressed concern about the project. The extension will run through the Serenova Tract of Starkey Wilderness Preserve. Tim Martin, chair of the Sierra Club Florida Conservation, said this will harm the preserve’s wetlands and its animals.

Phase one of the project costs an estimated $90 million. Phase two has not been funded yet. Construction completion is scheduled for the 2025-2026 timeframe.

State Road 54 widening, Zephyrhills to Wesley Chapel
State Road 54 is being widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a divided median, between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills. The 4.5-mile stretch will run east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road. The $42.5-million development is expected to finish by the Summer of 2021.

Interstate 75/Overpass Road interchange
This project will create a new access point onto Interstate 75 at Overpass Road. The project includes widening Overpass Road — between Old Pasco Road and I-75 — from two lanes to four lanes. To the east, Overpass Road will be expanded to six lanes, between I-75 and Boyette Road. Off Overpass Road, Blair Drive will connect to Old Pasco Road, and Boyette Road will connect with McKendree Road. These connections with Overpass Road will create new access points between Wesley Chapel and Dade City.

A new State Road 52 corridor is expected to be built, branching off from the existing one. It will be another means of heading further east in Dade City.

New State Road 52 alignment
A new alignment of State Road 52 will provide a new way to travel east through Dade City. The new stretch of road will run south of the existing State Road 52. It will begin east of the Bayou Branch Canal and continue east to the intersection of Prospect Road and Clinton Avenue. Clinton Avenue will be widened to a four-lane road leading to Fort King Road. The existing State Road 52 also will be widened to four lanes between Uradco Place and the Bayou Branch Canal. At Bayou Branch Canal, the existing corridor will branch off into the new one.

Improvements completed in 2019 include:

Widening of State Road 52, from Bellamy Brothers to Old Pasco Road
A 1.5-mile stretch of State Road 52 has been widened from Bellamy Brothers Boulevard to Old Pasco Road. The road was widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a median. There also is a multi-use path on the north end of State Road 52 and a sidewalk on the south end. Construction on the $13.4 million project started in 2016.

State Road 56 extension
A new 6-mile extension of State Road 56 has created a new east-west corridor, between Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wesley Chapel and U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills. The extension gives motorists an alternative to State Road 54, which also links the two communities. State Road 54 also is undergoing improvements. The State Road 56 extension is a four-lane road, divided by a median. It has a multi-purpose trail, a sidewalk and bicycle lanes. Traffic lights also were incorporated at Morris Bridge Road and U.S. 301.

The right turn and left turn lanes for eastbound traffic on State Road 54 onto U.S. 41 have been extended. The improvement aims to reduce traffic backups for motorists heading onto U.S. 41. (File)

State Road 54, turning lane improvements
The right-turn and left-turn lanes on State Road 54 have been lengthened to ease turning movements and reduce congestion. The $1.1-million project provides more room in the turning lane for motorists who are heading east on State Road 54 and intend to turn onto U.S. 41. The change reduces wait time for motorists turning north or south onto U.S. 41. Another improvement modified the median opening where State Road 54 intersects with Hunt Road. The change allows eastbound traffic on State Road 54 the option of turning onto Hunt Road or making a U-turn. It allows westbound traffic to turn off of Hunt Road, but motorists coming from that direction can no longer make U-turns.

Published January 08, 2020

New interchange expected to ease traffic on area roads

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Plans are underway to build an interchange connecting Overpass Road to Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel, and the project is expected to have a flyover ramp.

The ramp would grant access from westbound Overpass Road to southbound Interstate 75.

The Overpass Road bridge runs east-west above the interstate, which runs north-south.

Richard Moss is the director of transportation development for the Florida Department of Transportation District 7, who is overseeing the project.

Overpass Road, which runs above Interstate 75, will soon have a flyover ramp to connect the two roadways. (Brian Fernandes)

He was present at the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) board meeting to explain the development before board members, on Aug. 8.

“That flyover would process a lot more traffic going southbound (on Interstate 75), so it’s a much better design,” Moss said.

This in turn, would help alleviate congestion on main corridors, such as State Road 52 to the north and State Road 54 to the south, the director added.

Construction along Overpass Road would run from its intersections with Old Pasco Road and Boyette Road – a distance of roughly 1 mile.

Overpass Road bridge will need to be remodeled to accommodate the interchange.

“There’s an existing bridge out there,” Moss said. “We’re going to demolish that and it will be a full new interchange.”

Additional lanes are being added to Overpass Road, too.

The stretch from Old Pasco Road to I-75 will be expanded to four lanes; I-75 to Boyette Road, will be six lanes.

And, Blair Drive and McKendree Road, which both run off of Overpass Road, will undergo realignments.

Blair Drive will be disconnected from Overpass Road and will extend southwest to intersect with Old Pasco Road.

McKendree Road also will disconnect from Overpass Road. It will turn eastward, running parallel to Overpass Road before moving up northward and temporarily connecting with Boyette Road.

Future plans call for Boyette Road to extend north, where it will eventually intersect at another end of McKendree Road.

Pasco County and FDOT are operating under two agreements to acquire the necessary land for the project.

Right of way is being acquired for properties on both sides of Overpass Road, west of I-75. It also is being acquired along the west side of I-75, just south of Overpass Road.

A contractor will be selected for the project by Spring 2020, at which point the state transportation department will enter into a design-build contract.

“We anticipate that, being roughly about 800 days to construct,” Moss said. “You’re looking at probably about three years out and that interchange will be open.”

He also noted that there may be a six-month to eight-month gap between hiring the contractor and beginning construction.

The project will cost approximately $70 million and is expected to be completed by 2023.

Published September 18, 2019

Overpass Road/I-75 interchange under review

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About 100 residents had the chance to see the design for a proposal to widen and extend Overpass Road at a public hearing on Dec. 15, but the project is years away from construction.

The project, estimated at $220 million, calls for widening and extending Overpass Road, aligning it with Fairview Heights and Kossik roads, and building a new Interstate 75 interchange.

The nearly 9-mile project is driven by a rapidly changing landscape that developers are tapping into for homes, employment centers and shops.

The proposed plan was outlined at the public hearing at the First Congregation Church of Zephyrhills.

In addition to a new I-75 interchange, the road would be widened to four lanes, or six lanes in some sections, from Old Pasco Road to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills. Construction on the interchange – the only partially funded phase of the project – is scheduled in 2020.

Pasco County has about $32 million budgeted for the estimated $64 million interchange. Additional state funds will be sought in 2017.

Pasco, with the Florida Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, is completing a study of the project before committing to its construction.

A no-build alternative also is an option.

A decision is anticipated by spring 2017.

At the hearing, residents could view maps and ask questions. They also viewed a video explaining the project.

During a public comment period, one property owner raised concern about access to property abutting I-75. Others opted instead for written comments, which were accepted by the state department of transportation through Dec. 27.

Many people at the meeting had questions about construction, increasing traffic and future plans to buy right-of-way.

Lorri and David Blommel, who live off Kossik Road, had mixed views of the project.

Lori Blommel had some questions: “How are we going to get out of our little place across four lanes of highway? How’s that going to work?”

But, an improved roadway, with an Overpass extension, also would provide a quicker, more direct route to Wesley Chapel.

David Blommel said a 30-minute trip could be shortened to 10 minutes.

The entire length of roadway is quickly transforming. Vacant land is becoming home to new subdivisions to join existing ones, such as the Villages at Pasadena Hills.

Metro Development Group recently broke ground on a 7-acre manmade Crystal Lagoon on Epperson Ranch at Overpass and Curley roads. The master-planned community will add thousands of homes, as well as employment opportunities to the area as part of the state-approved Connected City corridor.

The state’s 10-year pilot program focuses on about 7,800 acres to encourage development of new neighborhoods and stimulate job growth with cutting edge technology. Total build out is about 50 years into the future.

Currently, Overpass is an east-west road that runs from Old Pasco Road to just less than a mile east of Boyette Road. The road falls between State Road 52 and County Road 54. It crosses I-75, but it isn’t connected to the interstate.

The project would widen Overpass from two lanes to four lanes, from Old Pasco to I-75. A diverging diamond interchange would be built with a connection to Overpass.

In addition, Blair Drive, which currently links to Overpass near I-75, would be closed. A new, two-lane paved road would be built with a connection to Old Pasco.

When the Overpass extension is complete, the road would intersect with Handcart Road. From there, the road name changes to Fairview Heights Road and later becomes Kossik Road. The project ends where Kossik intersects with U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

Plans, long range, are to widen Overpass Road from I-75 to Boyette Road to six lanes, plus two auxiliary lanes. From Boyette Road to U.S. 301, the road also would widen to six lanes.

The project dates to 2003 and the Overpass Road Route Study. Since then, the plan has taken shape from additional studies and public workshops.

Published December 28, 2016