The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

McKendree Road

Construction crews busy on area road projects

By

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

By

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

Under Construction

By

Firestone Complete Auto Service
Motorists will have a new option for car maintenance with the opening of a new Firestone Complete Auto Service, at 25170 Maren Way in Land O’ Lakes. The shop, which is off State Road 54, will be equipped with seven service bays, as well as an indoor waiting area, along with an HD-TV and Wi-Fi service. The 6,116-square-foot building is set to open in late September and will provide 10 to 15 jobs.

Flying Squirrel Sports
Flying Squirrel Sports will bring new recreational activities for both adults and kids. The 40,000-square-foot structure will include indoor trampolines, dodge ball games, an arcade, pool tables, and a restaurant, among other amenities. The coming attraction will be housed in the Willow Bend Towne Centre, 22920 State Road 54 in Lutz. Construction is set to be completed in August, with an official opening date planned in September.

East Pasco Fleet-Transit Facility
Efforts are underway to build a facility to house county vehicles and buses at 9928 McKendree Road in San Antonio. The 31,427-square-foot station will include an area to wash buses, a refueling station and multiple bays for vehicle maintenance. Construction is expected to end by late 2019.

Heartland Dental Clinic
A Heartland Dental clinic is under construction in the Land O’ Lakes Connerton community at 20301 Pleasant Plains Parkway. The one-story office is 4,320 square feet and will hold 13 rooms. End of construction and grand opening are both set for September.

Curious about something new that’s popping up in your community? Please send us the location — along with the address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out. Send your email to .

‘Powerglides’ launch site gets OK

By

The Pasco County Commission has given the green-light to a conditional use permit to allow takeoffs and landings of motorized parachute devices — known as powerglides — on a 19-acre parcel, at the southeast corner of McKendree Road and Tyndall Road in Wesley Chapel.

While commissioners approved the request, Commissioner Mike Moore questioned why they were even considering the issue.

”Why does this have to come in front of the board? I see these things flying all over, where I live. Literally, I see these all over Pasco County all of the time,” Moore said.

“I just think it’s a waste of these people’s time to have to come do this. That’s my opinion,” Moore said.

Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning administrator, said the use is not considered to be a customary and incidental use of agricultural property.

County attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder noted: “If the board wishes to make this a permitted use in an agricultural district, it can. It isn’t currently. That’s why it’s before you today.”

Moore reiterated that he sees this type of device flying all over Pasco County.

Steinsnyder responded: “The flying isn’t illegal. It’s the landing and taking off on a piece of property. I don’t know where those you are seeing are landing and taking off from.

“This is the use of a piece of property.”

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley told Moore, “One of the reasons we’re here is because they take off and land and cross a person’s property next door, that affects the person’s way of life.”

Oakley added that the neighbor boards horses, and “these motors going across her property is causing her an issue.”

Attorney Barbara Wilhite, represented applicant Carol A. Roth.

She said a neighbor complained and a citation was issued by code enforcement.

The applicant had the choice of litigating the issue, or seeking a conditional use permit and opted to pursue the conditional use, the attorney said.

Wilhite noted there is a radio-controlled model airplane club that operates nearby, as well as a motocross track.

A paraglider spoke during the public hearing. He showed commissioners a video that demonstrates how the motorized crafts work, and also showed them a couple of horses in a field that did not appear to be disturbed by the motorized paragliders.

But, Gena Hester, who lives on Tyndall Road next to Roth’s property, voiced opposition

“The RC (radio-controlled) flyers across the street, they don’t fly over my property. The guys down the street that have the four-wheelers, they’re not flying over my property. I’m talking about my property,” she said.

“I have held a county boarding license since 2002. I have been boarding (horses) since 2003. The men, when they’re landing, they’re landing up to 10 feet over my property.”

She said she had shown a video during the Planning Commission meeting on the request, which showed that “they did land over their (her horses) heads, and they did scare my horses.”

Hester added: “They were flying in the front pasture, the side pasture, everywhere. That takes away my quiet use and enjoyment of my property.

“It’s my property that I want to ride my horses on, and those things are loud. Consider the size of a large lawnmower, and they’re flying over my house. I can’t ride my horse. Nobody else can ride their horse. Because it scares them. That’s the point I’m trying to get at,” Hester said.

Wilhite said the applicant has tried to work with staff and tried to achieve a balance.

“Can I say that my client is comfortable with these conditions? No. Do they want to be able to move forward, does she want to be able to use her property? Yes. That’s where we’re at,” Wilhite said.

Moore said the proposed area for takeoffs and landings seems to be a better option than other, more congested areas of the county.

“You see them going over (State Road) 56 and (Interstate) 75 on a pretty consistent basis,” and he said, adding he worries about their safety there.

The board approved the request, subject to numerous conditions, including:

  • A maximum of four takeoffs and four landings per day
  • No landings of anyone who did not launch from the site
  • Operating hours allowed from 7 a.m. to dusk
  • Operations limited to six days per week, including only one weekend day
  • A requirement for operators to maintain a minimum height of 400 feet over adjacent properties, except during launch, landing and necessary circling.

The permit for this use will expire in 10 years, unless applicants submit a request in writing for the county to consider an extension.

Published January 16, 2019