Pasco To Install Traffic Signal At County Line Rd. & Northwood Palms Blvd.

By Matt Wiley

Waiting for several minutes just to make a left or right turn onto County Line Rd. from Northwood Palms Blvd. is nothing unusual. For many Wesley Chapel residents, it’s a daily nuisance, which can make negotiating County Line Rd. tricky for those living in Grand Hampton or The Hammocks during the morning and afternoon rush hours. However, that may not be the case for much longer.

A recent study by Pasco County engineers has revealed that the busy intersection along the two-lane road should, in fact, have a traffic signal. On September 23, the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) signed an Interlocal Agreement with Hillsborough County to install and maintain a temporary traffic light signal to replace the current stop signs that seemingly do little to control traffic at the busy intersection. Since the road likely also will have to be widened in the not-so-distant future, the signal erected will be a temporary one

Pasco Traffic Operations manager Robert Reck says that it’s now up to Hillsborough County to sign off on the agreement.

Because of how County Line Rd. is situated, some parts of the road are located in Hillsborough County, while others are located completely in Pasco County. In some spots, the county line falls right in the center of the road. For this reason, an agreement between the two counties about the design, construction and maintenance had to be made.

“We’re trying to get things worked out with Hillsborough County,” Reck says. “As soon as we get the necessary permits, we’ll get started.”

Hillsborough County engineer Mike Williams says that the agreement details had been worked out with Pasco before it was taken to the Pasco BOCC. 

“We’re on board,” Williams said. “We just have to take (the agreement) to the Hillsborough BOCC for approval.”

Williams says that the agreement could be voted on either in October, or in November at the latest, adding that it really depends upon how quickly Hillsborough County staff receives the document.

The traffic study, which was completed nearly two years ago, found that the intersection met three of the eleven requirements to warrant a traffic signal, as laid out in the Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. However, an intersection only has to meet one of the federal requirements to warrant a stoplight.

Among the requirements met for signalization in the study were the traffic volumes during an eight-hour period, a four-hour period and during the intersection’s peak hour.

The study found that during an average 24-hour cycle, nearly 14,000 vehicles traveled through the intersection, with 11,762 of those traveling along County Line Rd. During the time of the study, seven traffic crashes occurred at the intersection. But, it’s important to note that the study doesn’t take into account any increase in traffic or accidents that have occurred since it (the study) was concluded in October of 2012.

Per the agreement, Pasco County will be responsible for the design of a temporary, span-wire traffic signal, held up by wooden poles. Hillsborough County will have the opportunity to review and approve the design. Pasco County also will be responsible for the cost of permitting and actual construction of the signal. Once the final design of the intersection is determined in the future, Pasco will pay to remove and replace the temporary signal with a permanent structure.