By Kyle LoJacono
It seems fitting that the next construction project to extend SR 56 east has been pushed back after numerous delays postponed the first segment’s opening by five months.
The newest section of the highway opened July 31 and extended SR 56 from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. It was first set for completion in March, but WDG Construction Inc., the firm originally picked for the job, was fired by Pasco County in part because it fell behind schedule.
The next stage will take SR 56 east to just more than a mile away from connecting with Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills. It also includes building a road to connect SR 54 and SR 56, which will be called Wyndfields Boulevard.
Phase 2 was slated for completion by the end of 2012, but Pasco County’s Development Review Committee pushed that deadline to Dec. 31, 2015.
“The extension was meant to allow more houses to be built in Meadow Pointe and other new developments,” said Pasco Assistant County Administrator Bipin Parikh. “When developers buy land to build large neighborhoods it is usually done with an agreement for the developers to pay for road improvements in the area to support the growth. That growth isn’t happening as we expected.”
The extension would allow 6,500 new homes to be built on the border of Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills as a golf course community. The developers of the Wyndfields and Meadow Pointe’s Nos. 3 and 4 residential sections are responsible for the project’s eventual completion.
That agreement, which called for the start of Stage 2 in July, was struck several years ago during the peak of the housing boom. The developers have seen little indications that an investment in new housing would be profitable since the bubble burst in the real estate market.
The developer for Wyndfields has already completed design and will submit it to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to get permitting approval, according its representing attorney Donna Feldman.
Richard Gerhring, Pasco’s growth management administrator, said the extension is a way to help create easier travel across the county.
“It’s all about creating a grid network with our roadways,” Gerhring said. “Right now we have huge pieces of land with nothing on it. These roads open it up for development to help make the county more prosperous in the future.”
Gerhring said the deal with the developers also includes donating right of way land to allow for the eventual westward extension of Chancey Road from where it ends in Wesley Chapel to connect with Bruce B. Downs in the Wiregrass Ranch area.
Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri said the overall plan is to take SR 56 all the way to US 301 in southern Zephyrhills. While that project is still unfunded, Mulieri said it would not be that far behind the completion of Stage 2.
“I would agree with Richard that these major roadways will make Pasco a better place to live for everyone,” Mulieri said. “It’s all about bringing opportunities home, and these road projects make us a more attractive place for businesses and talented people to come to.”
For more information on the extension or any future Pasco projects, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net.
