TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

State Road 54 Gridlock Relief On Its Way

ADVERTISEMENT

By SHERRI LONON

IN THE LOOP

Published: January 7, 2009

Pasco County government officials are hopeful a $26 million road construction project along State Road 54 will give Wesley Chapel residents some relief from the congestion they've dealt with for years. Work on the project is expected to begin later this year.

"I've been here 26 years and we need it," said Cindy Fleming, president of the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. "It's time."

The project involves expanding the existing two-lane State Road 54 from Interstate 75 to Curley Road and turning it into a four-lane thoroughfare with turn lanes. Enough land will be purchased to accommodate six lanes in the future, said Robert Shepherd, senior project manager for the county. Right of way acquisition is currently under way for the project, he said. The hope is to begin construction in June or July, but preparation work is likely to begin sooner.

It could take up to 30 months from the start of construction to finish the work, he said.

Shepherd said the county anticipates construction along Meadow Point Boulevard will be completed in time to give people an alternative east-west route, using State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard instead of State Road 54.

"It is getting worse and worse," Shepherd said of the congestion along the State Road 54 corridor. "I drive that two or three times a day and it's bad all the time."

Although State Road 54 is technically under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation, Pasco County is funding and overseeing the widening project.

"It's not unusual for the county to do some work on a state road," said DOT spokeswoman Kris Carson. "They were able to get it funded quicker than DOT."

Shepherd said the county decided to fund the project because of the evident need for relief.

While she acknowledges that construction is needed to relieve daily traffic jams in Wesley Chapel, Fleming is concerned about the impact the project will have on business.

"I hope they can make the businesses accessible," she said. "There will be a lot of issues."

Shepherd said there will always be lanes open during the project to keep traffic flowing. He did warn, however, that it won't be an easy construction period.

"When you build roads, it always gets worse before it gets better."

For Lexington Oaks resident Jeff Hibbert news of impending construction is welcomed.

"It's long overdue," he said. "Anytime we go to The Home Depot or Lake Bernadette, it's an issue for us. It's definitely a hindrance."

While an official timetable for construction from the interstate to Curley is not available, Shepherd said the county does hope to get work done as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the state is working on right of way acquisition for widening 54 from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road. Actual purchases will not take place until the 2011-12 fiscal year, which means work is still a few years away, Carson said.

Editor Sherri Lonon can be reached at (813) 948-4287 or at slonon@mediageneral.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT