Old Pasco Rd. Workshop Draws A Crowd

A large crowd showed up as Pasco County planners fielded questions and concerns about the upcoming Old Pasco Rd. widening.(Photo: John C. Cotey)

More than 100 residents showed up to the Pasco Hernando State College Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC) to view and ask questions about Pasco County’s plans to widen the 6.88-mile-long Old Pasco Rd. from a sleepy two-lane country road to a four-lane divided roadway that can accommodate future traffic demands.

The public workshop, scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m., was practically packed 15 minutes before that.

“This is one the biggest crowds I’ve seen for one of these,” said Michael Cook, a real property professional for Pasco County.

The July 28 workshop was scheduled to give residents their say about the widening project. Many filled out comment cards and put them in a box on the way out.

Pasco County is performing a Route Study and Pond Siting Analysis to evaluate the impacts of widening Old Pasco Rd. from Wesley Chapel Blvd. (C.R. 54) to S.R. 52. Two alternatives were presented, the primary difference between them being one has a more urban design utilizing curbs and gutters, while the other uses swales.

Improvements also will include potential signalization of several intersections, on-street bicycle lanes, a sidewalk on one side of the road, a multi-use path on the other side, and drainage improvements.

“I’m fine with it as long as there’s no damage done to my house,” said Ruben Rosado, who has lived on Old Pasco Rd. since 2002, right around the time that the original Old Pasco Rd. Route Studies were approved by the Board of County Commissioners in March 2001 and April 2003.

Rosado and others also voiced concerns about how close the expanded road would be to their property, the ease of getting out of their driveway and speeding, which some think will be more prevalent on a more open road.

The county says portions of the required road right-of-way already have been acquired south of Overpass Rd. All required road right-of-way has been acquired from north of Overpass Road to S.R. 52. 

In addition, the right-of-way for 12 of the 14 pond sites already has been acquired within the corridor.

The county says that Alternative 1, which is a wider build, would affect 47-48 properties, including two residential relocations, and cost roughly $102 million.

Alternative 2 would affect 41-42 properties, also including two residential relocations, and would cost roughly $93 million.

There also is a no-build option, which would cost nothing but seems highly unlikely.

Right-of-way acquisitions account for more than $14-million of each total.

Cook says some suggestions turned in by attendees would likely be incorporated into the design phase, such as placements of right and left turn lanes and the pond locations. The design phase is anticipated to begin starting sometime next year.

Currently, Pasco County has the following phases of the project funded in its 10-year 2022-31 Capital Improvement Program:

• Design Phase: Fiscal Years 2022-23 (a little behind schedule)

• Right-of-Way Acquisition: Fiscal Years 2024-25

• Construction: Fiscal Years 2026-27

Old Pasco Rd. Added To Pasco MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan

After being removed from the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) during the economic downturn in 2008, the widening of Old Pasco Rd. will be getting a fresh look.

The county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted unanimously last month to put the idea of widening the two-lane road back on Pasco’s LRTP.

While still a long way from any concrete design and plans, transportation projects can only be funded if they are on the LRTP, so it’s a start.

“Now, we can figure out how to get it funded, what it might cost and look at a newer study of the road,” said Pasco  Commissioner Mike Moore, who represents District 2, which includes most of Wesley Chapel.

Moore says he has been pushing for an examination of Old Pasco Rd. for the past two years.

 Old Pasco Rd. is no longer simply a minor roadway that winds through a sleepy part of Wesley Chapel from S.R. 54, past Overpass Rd., into San Antonio, and all the way to S.R. 52. Instead, it is evolving into is a main arterial roadway that goes by the new Cypress Creek High Middle/High School and future performing arts center, new housing developments and a soon-to-be-built business park.

“I personally feel it’s a priority to get it done,” Moore says. “It’s a pretty skinny road the way it is, and with a new school and additional homes, I have concerns about the traffic and the safety of those who live and drive in that area.” 

It was during the summer of 2018 that Moore and District 1 Commissioner Ron Oakley ignited the debate, following the re-zoning request that cleared the way for 2,250,000 sq. ft. of office and light industrial entitlements to be built on roughly 91 acres of land on the east side of Old Pasco Rd., just south of Overpass Rd., near Cypress Creek Middle/High. 

With plans already underway to widen Overpass Rd. and the addition of a new intersection with I-75, more traffic on Old Pasco Rd. — including big trucks coming to and from the Overpass Business Park, as it will be called — is a certainty.

Coming Soon: More Traffic

While portions of Old Pasco Rd. will be widened during the construction of the soon-to-be-built Overpass Rd./I-75 intersection, Moore would like to see a plan to widen Old Pasco Rd. all the way from S.R. 52 to S.R. 54.

He says he knows it will be expensive, but adds that the area is quickly growing. In addition to the school, there are 400 new homes approved for construction in Quail Hollow, and a 264-unit Arbours at Saddle Oaks residential development at the intersection of Old Pasco Rd. and Country Club Rd.

Commissioner Moore says he has met with local residents on a number of occasions over the past two years, and says a large majority of the people he’s spoken with want to see the road widened. But they want it done right — with a median and sidewalks and bike paths, all things that make it safer for pedestrians and vehicles.

“They want it done right,” Moore says, “and I agree.”

HDR Engineering, Inc., is currently conducting a road safety audit (RSA) and study for Old Pasco Rd., to determine if there is a need for the widening. That study is looking at the Old Pasco Rd. intersections with S.R. 54, Post Oak Blvd., Foamflower Blvd., Dayflower Blvd., Country Club Rd., Bonnie Blue Dr., Deedra Dr., Sonny Dr., Lindenhurst Dr., and Overpass Rd.

It will be years before the project comes to fruition, and the amount of right-of-way land that would need to be purchased will make it an expensive endeavor. 

“It won’t be easy,” Moore admits, “but I really think it needs to get done.”