The Laker/Lutz News

DeCubellis Road

Ridge Road construction moves forward

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By summer, motorists could take their first spins along the initial segment of the Ridge Road extension from Moon Lake Road/DeCubellis Road to Town Center Boulevard.

“We’re hoping we open that leg by the start of August, for the start of the school year,” said Sam Beneck, Pasco County’s property manager. “They are pulling out all the stops to get it done. It’s going to be a real challenge.”

The roadwork is expected to ease traffic for River Ridge high school and middle school along Town Center.

This aerial view shows the area where Ridge Road construction will begin at Moon Lake in west Pasco County. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

This short jog forward is the beginning of a two-phased road project, with a final completion date in 2025. By then, the approximately 8.6-mile extension of Ridge Road, from west to east, is expected to cross over Suncoast Parkway and come out at U.S. 41, opposite an entrance into the master-planned community of Connerton in Land O’ Lakes.

Pasco County officials celebrated the kick-off to Ridge Road’s extension in January. It was the culmination of more than two decades of pushing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue a permit that would allow the new road to cut through sensitive environmental land in the Serenova Tract of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve.

For years, county officials identified the east/west route as an essential evacuation route during hurricanes and other emergencies. They expect it to take pressure off existing east/west routes of State Road 52 and State Road 54, and cut evacuation times down by hours. In addition, traffic capacity is expected to increase by 10%.

“It’s really to improve traffic capacity and east/west access to improve hurricane evacuations,” said Beneck. “We really, really see it as a significant evacuation improvement with multi-hour benefits in reaching our evacuation goal and traffic capacity. There was never another alternative that provided these benefits.”

Environmentalists suggest that the north/south route of U.S. 19 makes more sense for evacuations, and would avoid harm to the Serenova.

“We need to maintain our natural systems and forests to mitigate against climate change,” said Tim Martin, conversation chairman for the Sierra Club Florida. “We just need to leave our natural systems and keep our preserves preserved.”

Sierra Club Florida Conservation filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps in February in the U.S. Middle District of Florida. However, a judge denied an emergency injunction to stop the roadway. Pasco County, which is not a defendant in the lawsuit, was granted permission to intervene in the case.

The Sierra Club alleges that the Army Corps violated the National Environmental Policy Act and failed to adequately evaluate the harm to threatened and endangered species within the Serenova, and to their habitats and wetlands.

Martin said county taxpayers need to understand they could be the losers if the lawsuit is successful and Pasco is ordered to restore wetlands that the roadway is destroying.

Beneck said the county is sensitive to the impacts to the Serenova. County staff and the Fish and Wildlife Commission have provided guidance on mitigation efforts, including relocating gopher tortoises found on site.

The court date is pending.

When completed, the roadway through the Serenova will have 16 bridges that cross over wetlands, and wildlife crossings at 15 of those bridges.

Landscaping and multi-use paths will be installed with nature overlooks that allow for relaxation and observation.

The total estimated cost of the project is more than $149 million, with the largest share – about $93.2 million – paying for phase one from Moon Lake to the Suncoast. Suncoast to Sunlake is estimated to cost about $12.7 million. Funding sources for the $44 million final segment from Sunlake to U.S. 41 are identified and will be budgeted in the fiscal year 2023, based on revenue estimates and projections, according to county officials.

The Florida Turnpike Authority will fund the new interchange at Ridge Road and the parkway.

The interchange and surrounding land are attracting new development.

Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute recently purchased about 775 acres for a future research hub near the interchange.

Lennar, which sold land to Moffitt, is proposing a master-planned community of Angeline, formerly Project Arthur, that would transform a former cattle ranch and pine plantation into a residential and commercial community. The property is located south of State Road 52 and east of Suncoast. Both Ridge Road and Sunlake Boulevard cut through the property.

Environmentalists say these types of projects are the true reason for extending Ridge Road.

“Now, it’s pretty obvious all along they had bigger plans for opening central Pasco,” said Martin. “A lot of this is bad growth and sprawl.”

One design change in Ridge Road could add as many as seven signalized intersections to the phase two, at-grade construction of roadway from Suncoast to Land O’ Lakes boulevard.

While this segment initially had limited access, county officials later designated it an arterial roadway in acknowledgement that private property owners might develop land adjacent to Ridge Road.

However, Beneck said Pasco planned for Ridge Road based on the county’s long-range comprehensive plan, not any specific development projects. “We really hadn’t heard of any development plans.”

It would be up to private developers to seek any necessary permits, he said.

“Private developers would be responsible for doing all of their own mitigation,” Beneck said.

Published July 1, 2020

Lawsuit challenges Ridge Road extension

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The Sierra Club Florida Conservation has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for issuing a permit to Pasco County, to allow the construction of an extension of Ridge Road.

The legal action aims to halt the project, which is a 9-mile corridor that would add an additional transportation link in the county.

Those opposing the extension of Ridge Road across the wetlands of the Serenova Preserve rallied at the roadway intersection of DeCubellis Road and Moon Lake Road, on Feb. 9. (Courtesy of Elise Mysels, Pasco Activists group)

The extension would give another option to motorists who now travel east-west across the county, using State Road 54 and State Road 52.

The new link will reduce traffic on those other corridors, and it provides another evacuation route in the event of an emergency, according to Pasco County officials.

Plans call for the corridor to be lengthened from New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway, then further east to U.S. 41.

Ridge Road also would extend through the Serenova Tract of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve.

Currently, land is being cleared to establish what will be the new roadway, heading toward the wetlands.

Environmentalists, such as the Sierra Club, argue that going through that tract  will be detrimental to the wetlands and the wildlife that live in the preserve.

However, county officials assure that cautionary measures will be taken to minimize impacts.

The new roadway would be incorporated with 16 bridges that overpass wetlands.

Guardrails also would be installed to keep wildlife from entering onto the roadway.

This would lessen impacts to the Serenova Tract by 83%, said Sam Beneck, Pasco County project manager.

“We did understand that this was a project that was very significant to [the] Sierra Club,” he noted.

In regards to the lawsuit, filed on Feb. 6, the county anticipated that the “challenge was likely, and so did the Army Corps,” Beneck said.

Tim Martin is a member of the Sierra Club, and issued the press release announcing the legal action against the federal agency.

This aerial shot shows the clearing of land to lengthen Ridge Road to the east, eventually stopping at U.S. 41. The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit to attempt to stop excavation of land for the project. (Courtesy of Sam Beneck, Pasco County project manager)

“We feel that the Army Corps has made some serious mistakes and violations of federal regulations in granting this permit. I think we have a very strong case proving that,” Martin said.

The 59-page lawsuit contends that the Army Corps breached the National Environmental Policy Act – neglecting “to adequately evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative harm to threatened and endangered species, their habitats, and wetlands located within RRE (Ridge Road extension) permit area of impact.”

Martin said this speaks directly to the removal of gopher tortoises from the Serenova Tract, and its resulting implications.

The county has been working in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to find another suitable habitat for the tortoises so they are not harmed during the extension project.

However, the Sierra Club has pushed back, stating that removal of the tortoises will only cause greater harm.

“When you remove the gopher tortoise burrows, you’re not just picking up tortoises and moving them to another park in South Florida,” Martin said. “You’re actually destroying this highly evolved, very critical habitat that 350-plus species depend on for survival.”

The extension project also has received the backing of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis who has been a staunch advocate for the roadway. He implored the Army Corps to issue a permit. And, in 2017, Bilirakis sent a letter to President Donald Trump, asking him to make the extension’s completion a priority.

Earlier this year, Bilirakis joined Pasco County officials during the project’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

There he explained the corridor’s importance to residents when faced with a natural disaster.

But, Martin contends that Ridge Road would not be a viable alternative for an evacuation route.

During Hurricane Irma, U.S. 19, which runs north and south from Pasco County into neighboring counties, did not have overcapacity and would have been a more suitable route, Martin said.

The documentation also claims that the Army Corps violated another law that requires that a least-damaging alternative be taken to sustain water-related ecosystems.

There were other locations for the corridor that would have caused less damage, Martin said.

Elise Mysels belongs to the Pasco Activists group, which has worked alongside the Sierra Club in resisting the extension.

She said that she is not against the county building a third corridor, but it shouldn’t be Ridge Road because of the wetlands it will cross.

“What they are basically proposing is to go in and fill 40 acres to allow for this highway to go in,” Mysels said.

She attended the gopher tortoise vigil held at the current dead-end of Ridge Road, where it intersects with DeCubellis Road and Moon Lake Road, in New Port Richey.

Environmentalists rallied at the intersection on Feb. 9, holding protest signs and encouraging passersby to get involved in the cause.

Legal action followed a two-decade wait for the permit to be issued.

Published February 19, 2020

County marks Ridge Road extension milestone

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It was a historic day in Pasco County, as a groundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate the upcoming construction of the Ridge Road extension.

The new stretch of road will give motorists another east-west option through Pasco County, and will provide an additional evacuation route in the event of a disaster.

From left: Sam Beneck, project manager for the extension, is joined by Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles, Pasco County Commissioners Mike Wells, Jack Mariano, Ron Oakley and Mike Moore; U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and Margaret Smith of Pasco County Engineering Services. The Jan. 13 groundbreaking ceremony was the first step in the construction of a project that’s been a county goal for more than 20 years. (Brian Fernandes)

The groundbreaking, held Jan. 13, followed a permit issued in December by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

County officials have been pushing for the project for more than two decades. When the extension is completed, motorists will have another east-west way to get across the county, in addition to State Road 52 and State Road 54.

The ceremony, which drew numerous dignitaries, took place at the end of Town Center Road. That’s where Ridge Road will extend, heading east.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, of District 2, kicked off the ceremony, with a few remarks. He was joined at the ceremony with his colleagues on the commission: Ron Oakley, Jack Mariano, Kathryn Starkey and Mike Wells.

“It’s another great day in Pasco County,” Moore said. “The Ridge Road extension is finally happening, providing a much needed east-west route through the heart of Pasco County for our citizens, and insuring another critical emergency evacuation route.”

Currently, Ridge Road runs between Moon Lake Road to the north, and DeCubellis Road to the south, in New Port Richey.

The roughly 9-mile extension ultimately will link the road to U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.

Construction is being broken into two phases.

The new Ridge Road intersections and their anticipated completion dates go as follows:

Phase 1

  • From Moon Lake Road/DeCubellis Road to Town Center Road, with completion scheduled for 2020
  • From Town Center Road to Suncoast Parkway, with completion scheduled for 2021
  • Extension widened from two lanes to four lanes to Suncoast Parkway, with completion scheduled for 2022

Phase 2

  • Four lanes from Suncoast Parkway to Sunlake Boulevard, with completion scheduled for 2022
  • Four lanes from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41, with completion scheduled for 2025

The first phase will cost an estimated $90 million.

The second phase has not been funded.

The project also has received congressional support.

Pasco County Commission Vice Chairman Mike Wells was one of the five county commissioners present for the groundbreaking of the Ridge Road extension on Jan. 13. Wells represents District 4, which includes a portion of the new extension’s path.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida’s 12th congressional district has been an advocate for Ridge Road’s extension. He has urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for several years to issue a permit for the project.

At the groundbreaking, Bilirakis said: “This is a team effort, and it is a big deal. We’re thankful this morning to celebrate a vision that began many years ago.”

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles also was instrumental in helping the project move forward.

He signed off on the permit, the day the county received it.

“As Ridge Road is built, it actually reduces the traffic on [State Roads] 54 and 52, and right around there by 10%,” Biles said.

Commissioner Mariano, who represents District 5, said: “The future’s bright for Pasco County. This is a major accomplishment for a community that stuck together knowing how important it was, and this is something we should be very, very proud of.”

Mariano also called attention to safety concerns that will be addressed as a result of the new corridor.

“One of the major reasons we elevated it (Ridge Road), was to make it safer so it can be used during a hurricane event as well,” he said.

Mariano made reference to Tropical Storm Debby, which caused State Road 54 to shut down in 2012.

“This right here is going to be for the safety of our citizens on the west side of this county,” added Commissioner Ron Oakley, of District 1.

County officials said the elevation also significantly reduces impacts to the wetlands of the Serenova Tract of Starkey Wilderness Preserve. They estimate that reduction in impacts to be as high as 83%.

The project includes 16 bridges, curbs, guardrails and fencing.

Impacts to wildlife are being taken into consideration as well.

The end of Town Center Road has been cleared of brush, and is now being surveyed for gopher tortoises in the vicinity, said Sam Beneck, the project manager.

Any tortoises found in the construction area will be relocated to another site, Beneck said.

While the county has been pushing for the project for decades, environmentalists have been opposed to it.

The opponents, including the Sierra Club Florida Conservation, have said the new measures do not go far enough in protecting the Preserve or wildlife.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who represents District 3, said the extension will provide another alternative for those going to River Ridge High School and River Ridge Middle, which are located along Town Center Road.

That will reduce congestion and improve safety, Starkey said, noting, “it was never intended” for both schools to have only one entrance.

“Not only is this a very important hurricane evacuation route, but it’s also very important for the well-being of the students and the faculty, and all this neighborhood of the River Ridge complex,” Starkey said.

“The Ridge Road extension will have a lasting impact that extends far beyond the community surrounding this site,” said Commission Vice Chairman Mike Wells, of District 4.

After remarks concluded, officials donned hard hats and grabbed shovels to take part in a ceremonial groundbreaking pose.

Ridge Road’s extension to Town Center Road is expected to begin in coming weeks, with construction of that portion expected to be completed by this fall.

Published January 22, 2020

Pasco creates Ridge Road Extension website

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Pasco County’s engineering service department has created a website that tracks progress of the proposed Ridge Road Extension project.

The website (bit.ly/RidgeRoadProject) provides information about the history of the project, a project overview, current activities, a project fact sheet and the latest information.

The road is intended to improve east-west roadway capacity and enhance overall mobility within the area bounded by State Road 52 to the north and State Road 54 to the south, U.S. 41 to the east and Moon Lake Road, Decubellis Road and Starkey Boulevard to the west, according to the website.

The project will also provide additional roadway capacity and improved routing away from coastal hazard areas, and improve hurricane evacuation clearance times in the event of a hurricane or other major weather-related occurrence, the website adds.

The county has sought approval for the road project for about two decades. The proposed 8-mile extension would link Moon Lake Road in West Pasco to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes.

The county has identified the road extension as a priority, but it continues to face opposition because a part of the project would cut through a portion of the Serenova Preserve.

Detailed construction plans are being prepared and are anticipated to be completed prior to the permit decision.

The county expects a permit decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in late Summer 2019, according to the website.

Published August 29, 2018

Efforts continue for Ridge Road permit

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The long process of winning approval for a permit to build an 8-mile extension of Ridge Road could yield a decision from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers within 14 months or less, according to a consulting firm hired by Pasco County.

The Army Corps identified one of 17 proposed routes as “the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative,” as stated in an April 27 letter to county officials and the Florida Department of Transportation.

Ridge Road dead-ends in west Pasco County at the intersection with Moon Lake Road and Decubellis Road. The county wants to extend Ridge Road from west Pasco to U.S. 41 for an evacuation route.
(Kathy Steele)

“That’s very important,” said Dwight Beranek, senior advisor at Washington D.C.-based Dawson & Associates. “(It) allows the county to focus all of its attention and energy on one project as opposed to 17.”

Beranek gave Pasco County commissioners an update on the status of the county’s permit application at the May 9 meeting in Dade City.

The proposed route would be a four-lane, partially elevated road cutting through a portion of the Serenova Preserve. It would link Ridge Road, which dead-ends at Moon Lake Road and Decubellis Road in New Port Richey, to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The eastern portion would come out opposite Connerton Boulevard, the main entrance into the master-planned community of Connerton. An interchange at Suncoast Parkway also would be built.

Pasco County officials give high priority to the road extension as an evacuation route during hurricanes and other emergencies. But, a permit has eluded them for nearly 19 years at a cost of at least $15 million.

County commissioners on May 2 approved an additional $404,000 for a month-to-month contract with Dawson & Associates.

Environmentalists vehemently oppose the Ridge Road extension, citing potential harm to a conservation area, as well as flooding and water pollution worries. They also say the project is more about opening the Serenova to development than about providing an evacuation route.

A Facebook page, Save the Serenova Preserve from the Road to Nowhere, is a rallying site for opponents who have been meeting on the matter for the past months.

“We will fight this with every legal option at our disposal,” said Tim Martin, chairman of the conservation committee for the Suncoast Sierra Club. “We’re trying to organize resistance. I think a lot of people are frustrated and upset by the developments.”

Dawson & Associates will aid the county in the next months on documents that detail construction and environmental impacts to the route identified by the Army Corps. At the same time, a modification also is needed on a prior permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as Swiftmud.

“There’s a lot of different activities left to be done,” said Beranek. But, he added, that the county is “well-positioned” to move forward to what hopefully will be a favorable decision.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore pushed for a commitment sooner than 14 months to get an updated permit from Swiftmud and construction permit from the Army Corps.

“I don’t see it taking that long,” Moore said.

Published May 17, 2017

It’s gas tax decision day Sept. 3

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Pasco County commissioners are up against a self-imposed deadline Wednesday where they will have to decide how they are going to fund a needed $8 million for road construction projects in the county.

And while there are really only three primary options on the table — the decision is not expected to be an easy one.

County budget director Annette Stahura is set to present those three options and any others commissioners bring up during what is expected to be a shorter-than-usual meeting in New Port Richey. Commissioners are being asked to either increase local gasoline taxes up to a nickel per gallon, increase property tax rates, or a combination of the two.

Increasing the gas tax is going to be the most difficult way to go, however, with four of the five commissioners needed to approve it. Outgoing commissioner Henry Wilson Jr., has already said he would continue his position from last year and not support increasing the gas tax, while commission chair Jack Mariano has been on the fence, but leaning against the gas tax.

Boosting property taxes, however, only requires three votes, although Commissioner Ted Schrader has said he is against increasing that tax to pay for new roads as long as the gas tax option is available.

Proponents of the gas tax say many consumers may not even feel it. Neighboring counties, they say, increased their gas taxes in recent years, and few of the gas stations actually passed that extra cost on to consumers, members of the county staff said. Those same proponents also discount the impact to businesses and such that need large amounts of fuel, since diesel fuel would not be levied the additional tax.

Those against the gas tax, however, say that there are no guarantees that gas stations won’t increase gas prices to compensate for the additional tax, and that the cost to consumers — including businesses who require large amounts of fuel — is unnecessary.

Each penny of gas tax is expected to generate $1.6 million each year, according to an internal county report. A full gas tax could, however, cost $37.50 more per year for driver, or a little more than $3 per month.

Raising property taxes, however, could have a larger impact to businesses than a fuel tax, according to an internal report. While a 5-cent gas tax would increase costs to small business owner by $250, raising property taxes instead to hit that $8.07 million mark would cost small businesses $478.That is based on a small manufacturing business with $200,000 property value and $1 million tangible property value.

However, the impact to the average homeowner for a property tax increase would be just under $20 a year for the full $8 million, assessed at homes with $100,000 in appraised value and $50,000 in homestead exemptions.

If the commission can’t come to a decision on how to raise the $8 million, seven short-term projects would be delayed up to 10 years. They include:

• Construction of Bell Lake Road from U.S. 41 to Alpine Road — moved from 2015 to 2017

• Right-of-way acquisition to expand DeCubellis Road from two lanes to four lanes from Little Road to Starkey Boulevard — moved from 2017 to 2019

• Creation of an automated traffic management system on County Road 54 and State Road 54 from Progress Parkway to Curley Road — moved from 2017 to 2025

• Right-of-way acquisition to expand County Road 54 from two lanes to four lanes from State Road 54/56 to Progress Parkway — moved from a one-year project to a five-year project.

• Creation of an automated traffic management system on Little Road from Embassy Boulevard to Star Trail — moved from 2018 to 2027.

• Right-of-way acquisition to expand Moon Lake Road from two lanes to four lanes from DeCubellis Road to State Road 52 — moved from a five-year project to a nine year project.

• Construction of Starkey Boulevard from River Crossing Boulevard to DeCubellis Road — moved from 2018 to 2020.

Projects that would be completely moved out of the 15-year plan and placed in limbo include:

• Chancey Parkway from Fox Ridge to Morris Bridge roads
• Collier Parkway from Parkway Boulevard to Ehren Cutoff
• County Line Road North from East Road to Springtime Street
• Moon Lake Road from DeCubellis Road to State Road 52
• Ridge Road extension from Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41
• Expanding Trinity Boulevard to four lanes from Little Road to State Road 54
• Twenty Mile Level Road from State Road 54 to Collier Parkway
• Two phases of the Zephyrhills Bypass extension, from River Glen Boulevard to Dean Dairy Road

The meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m., at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.

Time to ride that bike to work

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Some Pasco County employees will work to bring more attention to the benefits of biking to work when they ride their own bicycles to the job on May 16.

The ride starts from the corner of Town Avenue and Starkey Boulevard at 7 a.m. It will run north on the path that runs adjacent to Starkey before turning west on DeCubellis Road, and then finally heading north to Little Road, ending at the West Pasco Government Center there. The riders will then make a return trip at 5 p.m.

Bikers who would like to participate are welcome, but they are asked to bring their own water.

The ride coincides with National Bike Month, which has been held since 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists.

“Biking provides many  benefits not only to the cyclist, but to our environment,” said Allen Howell, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization, in a release. “If we get more people to commute to work via bicycle, then we can reduce the amount of cars on the roads, thus reducing the greenhouse gases. It’s a small start, but it’s a start in the right direction.”

Howell reviews bicycle and pedestrian master plans for the county, and coordinates with adjacent counties and municipalities for long-range trail planning. He is part of the team that is reviewing the land development code, and says he believes having bike paths and trails is key to getting more people biking to work.

“The county’s goal is to have multi-use trails connecting parks, attractions and neighborhoods,” Howell said. “We’d like bike paths to be a minimum of 10 feet, with an idea width of 15 feet.”

By building bike paths to that width, there can be safe, two-way bike traffic plus pedestrian traffic, he added.

For information on the event, call Howell at (727) 847-2411, ext. 8678.