Interstate 75 now has three exits to Wesley Chapel.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced on Jan. 18 that the new interchange with exits to I-75 at Overpass Road in Wesley Chapel were open. The new Overpass Road also now connects Old Pasco Road, all the way east to Handcart Road.
The $64.4-million project began in Feb. 2021, with Overpass being closed completely as construction crews removed the previous two-lane bridge and installed the new four-lane overpass.
Located about halfway between the State Road 54 and State Road 52 interchanges, the new Exit 282 provides an alternative commuting option to area residents, especially those who live in older established communities on Old Pasco Road, as well as newer communities headed east on Overpass, such as Epperson Lagoon and Watergrass.
The interchange includes exit and entrance ramps to both directions of I-75 and features a “flyover” ramp for westbound Overpass Road traffic entering southbound I-75.
Drivers are advised to be alert to new traffic signals that are now active at the ramp intersections with Overpass Road. Workers also will continue to be in the area over the next few weeks completing the project, such as opening both lanes of the flyover and calibrating the digital road signs positioned before the interstate on ramps that give traffic updates.
Additionally, FDOT recently proposed a tentative five-year work program that includes about $433 million worth of roadway improvements in Pasco County.
That figure includes about $258 million worth of projects to expand roadway capacity, but also includes resurfacing, pedestrian and bicycle safety enhancements, and other work, too, according to Jensen Hackett, of FDOT.
One of the many projects in that budget proposal is adding lanes leading from the State Road 56
interchange heading south toward I-75 and toward I-275. When complete, the project will be similar to the lengthy exit from I-75 toward State Road 56. The idea is to make it easier for motorists to get over to I-75 or over to I-275. Right of way acquisition is proposed for fiscal year 2024 and construction for fiscal year 2026.
Published February 01, 2023
