I-75 At Overpass Rd. The Latest To Get Under Way


The rendering above shows the planned flyover entrance to I-75 at the new Overpass Rd. interchange (Exit 282), which began construction in October and is expected to be completed by 2023. (Rendering: FDOT)

Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore says one of the most common complaints he receives from his constituents is about the traffic, especially here in Wesley Chapel. Before too long, however, he says many of those complaints will go away.

“There’s a lot going on, and a lot of (transportation) projects are kind of coming together at once and are going to make an enormous and immediate impact,” Moore says.

Three major local road projects, totalling nearly $150 million combined, are under way right now. The projects — the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at S.R. 56 and I-75, the widening of S.R. 54 to past Morris Bridge Rd., and a new I-75 interchange at Overpass Rd. — will provide a large measure of relief to our area.

The widening of S.R. 54 (pictured here is the intersection of SR 54 and Meadow Pointe Blvd., as of December 13, 2020) is one of three major road projects, along with Overpass Rd. and the DDI, currently under construction in Wesley Chapel. (Photo: FDOT)

The $33-million DDI (which we’ve updated for you quite a bit recently) and the $42.5-million widening project — which will widen S.R. 54 from a two-lane road to a four-lane road with medians, and include a sidewalk on the north side and a 10-foot wide multi-use trail on the south side — are both well under way.

Meanwhile, the $70-million Overpass Rd. interchange will be located approximately halfway between the S.R. 54 and S.R. 52 exits (which are six miles apart), and work began on the project in October, with local road and drainage work in the southwest corner of the planned interchange.

Instead of a traditional interchange, or even another DDI (which was considered), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Pasco County have settled on a flyover ramp onto southbound I-75 from westbound Overpass Rd., similar to the one in New Tampa at the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. Exit 270 off I-75. The Overpass Rd. interchange will be Pasco County’s first flyover.

The existing Overpass Rd. bridge over I-75 is being torn down and will be replaced by two bridges, one each for eastbound and westbound traffic on Overpass Rd.

“You could say incorporating that particular design is the wave of the future,” Moore says. “We’re not going have to have to go back and fix something like what’s going on with S.R. 56 and I-75. With that interchange, it’s just going to be general maintenance.”

FDOT’s John McShaffrey says the flyover configuration was selected “primarily because this alternative provides the most capacity to handle anticipated future traffic demands for the westbound Overpass Rd. to southbound I-75 traffic movement.”

The project also will include the widening of Overpass Rd. from two lanes to four lanes between the interstate and Old Pasco Rd., and from two lanes to six lanes between the interstate and Boyette Rd.

The interchange is being constructed by the Middlesex Corporation, and is expected to have a major effect on the adjacent interchanges. It was the best choice to accommodate the traffic from future development coming to the east side of the county, primarily from the Epperson Ranch and Pasadena Hills communities.

Other benefits of the I-75/Overpass Rd.) interchange, according to FDOT:

* It will substantially reduce traffic at the adjacent interchanges (SR 54 & SR 52), thus improving the traffic flow at both of these interchanges (reducing delays and improving safety).

* It will provide a detour route for traffic on I-75, quicker access for first responders servicing this area of I-75, and another access point to I-75 for evacuees during emergency evacuations. 

* It is an integral part of the transportation network being developed in this growing area of the county, and is identified as a needed improvement to accommodate the Villages of Pasadena Hills development and the Connected Cities development. 

* Will improve access to I-75 for businesses that will be located at the approved Overpass Business Center, and will provide a direct route for businesses that are/will be located along the entire length of Overpass Rd., as it develops eastbound towards U.S. 301.

* FDOT and the county both acknowledge that the existing system, even with reasonable improvements, is incapable of satisfactorily accommodating future traffic demands. The location of this new Exit 282 Overpass Rd. interchange is ideal in terms of placement (approximately 3 miles from both Exit 285, or SR 52, and Exit 279, or SR 54). 

The estimated completion time of the Overpass Rd./I-75 interchange is summer 2023. The DDI and widening of S.R. 54 could be completed by the end of this year.

“I’m excited as a resident and as someone who has a wife and daughter that drive,” Moore says. “We see the effects the traffic has. But, also as an economic impact, too. When companies are looking to grow or relocate, they are looking for areas that have a great transportation infrastructure.”

Open For Business

Now that it has opened to traffic, the S.R. 56 Extension is expected to provide a boon to local businesses, as well as create a badly needed 4-lane East-West road crossing Pasco County.

WHEN PLANS were originally made to extend S.R. 56 all the way from Meadow Pointe Blvd in Wiregrass Ranch all the to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills, they included a lane in each direction.

Wesley Chapel’s growth, however, rendered those original plans moot.

“That wasn’t going to be enough,” said District 2 county commissioner Mike Moore.

So after some creative management and a wealth of cooperation between the Florida Department of Transportation, Pasco County, the City of Zephyrhills and multiple landowners along the proposed extension, the eastward expansion of S.R. 56 officially opened for traffic on July 10 as a freshly-paved, scenic, six-mile, four-lane road winding through pastures, in between trees and alongside ponds, while connecting Wesley Chapel to Zephyrhills.

“It’s a beautiful road,” said FDOT District 7 secretary David Gwynn, against the backdrop of four lanes running into a horizon flanked by nature. “Not just the road, but the surrounding area as well.”

City officials from Zephyrhills, all but one of Pasco’s county commissioners, the media and a number of other local dignitaries were given a sneak preview of the road on July 9, driving it from U.S. 301, through a signalized intersection at Morris Bridge Rd. and past Meadow Pointe Blvd.

Moore said no one was more excited about the extension than he was. The day it opened to everyone (June 10), he says he drove the length of it twice — once for work, and another time to visit his mother, who lives in Zephyrhills. He said the drive cut 15-20 minutes off his typical travel time in that direction, along the two-lane S.R. 54 (which also is in the process of being widened to four lanes).

He also touted the access to Polk County and even Orlando (via I-4) that the extension will provide, allowing residents in the area an alternative route.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Moore said. “I think people are going to love it. I was on Facebook, and I saw a lot of good comments from people who are definitely happy about it.”

In fact, a Neighborhood News Online video about the opening had more than 15,000 views in less than 24 hours, with hundreds of likes and mostly positive comments about the new road on Facebook (search “Neighborhood News”).

Among those who are happy about it is Ann Marie Schumaker, who lives in Zephyrhills but works at Soriano Insurance in Wesley Chapel. “I love the 56 extension,” she says. “Now I don’t have to take the dreaded Meadow Pointe cut-through up to 54 and sit in traffic during rush hour times with all the construction going on to go into Zephyrhills….it saves me 20 minutes every morning and evening on my daily commute to work. Being a single mom and having to make pick-up times is stressful. So, any extra time I can save is great. I’m overly excited. I’ve been waiting so long for this extension to be done.”

The extension is expected to provide an economic benefit to businesses in Wesley Chapel. Residents in Zephyrhills should find visiting the Shops at Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets, as well as the many surrounding businesses in the area, to be a much easier and quicker trek. 

The only option to go from Wesley Chapel to Zephyrhills has been driving on one lane westbound on S.R. 54, which is roughly a 25-30 minute trip in light traffic, and even longer during morning and evening rush hours, especially when the snowbirds are in town in the winter and spring. The new extension will make those jaunts significantly shorter.

Currently, the road remains a nice trip through what District 1 commissioner and lifelong county resident Ron Oakley called “old Pasco.”

It can be enjoyed by bicyclists looking to take advantage of a generous 7-foot-wide bike lane in either direction, as well as pedestrians who can walk along a 10-foot- wide multi-use trail on the south side or a 5-foot wide sidewalk on the north side of the new 56 extension.

The completion of the project gives Pasco County it’s first 4-lane road from U.S. 19 to the west to U.S. 301 to the east, Oakley said. 

“I’ve spent my entire life in Pasco County with only two-lane roads,” he said.

How It Happened

Moore said the county was smart to look ahead and make a deal to extend S.R. 56 with four lanes. He said too many times roads are constructed, only to need widening or other work to accommodate growth 10 years later, when the costs also will be greater.

To get the extension changed from two to four lanes was monumental, Moore said, and no easy feat.  

The BOCC had to approve seven different agreements in 2016 to come up with a plan to repay a $22.7-million loan from the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB), which provides investment funds for surface transportation projects. That loan will be repaid with money from the county, the City of Zephyrhills and via mobility fee surcharges to developers of Wesley Chapel Lakes, Wyndfields, River Landing and Two Rivers Ranch, all of which will eventually have communities along the road.

Most of the $59.7-million total cost (plus another $7-8 million in interest) to build the extension came from FDOT, which contributed $35 million.

Oakley said that the beautiful terrain the extension cuts through previously has only been seen by local ranchers, and that those who are now using the road should enjoy it while they can. In 8-10 years, he said, that definitely could change, as Wesley Chapel Lakes, Wyndfields, River Landing and Two Rivers Ranch are expected to add as many as 10,000 new homes to the corridor. 

Businesses, parks and new schools also are expected as well.

But for now, the extension of S.R. 56 is a scenic convenience.

New Tampa Tries To Drum Up Answers To Connections Stalemate

“People on the other side like the idea of living on a dead-end street,” says the City of Tampa’s Bob McDonaugh. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

The Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) asked county residents last month to complete an online survey involving the Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections study, which took a detailed look at traffic improvements mostly within Meadow Pointe, as well as three potential connections to the City of Tampa’s New Tampa area.

The survey, which ran from April 1-30, drew more than 2,700 responses, said Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore, whose District 2 includes most of Wesley Chapel.

The online survey asked a handful of simple questions about whether you approved of the following:

• A connection at Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe and Kinnan St. in K-Bar Ranch.

• A connection at Meadow Pointe Blvd. and the Meadow Pointe Blvd. Extension, which hooks up with K-Bar Ranch Blvd., also in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch development

• A connection at Wyndfields Blvd. and the Wyndfields Blvd. Extension, which would connect to both K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd.

• All three connections.

The survey also asked after each question if the respondent’s answer would be different if all of the improvements identified by Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections are committed to be done prior to, or concurrent with, the connection(s).

Along with looking at the connections, the study identified $13.8-million worth of road improvements in and around Meadow Pointe, such as repaving and widening roads, making intersections safer and improving traffic signals.

In anticipation of the results and because the Pasco side has dominated the debate over the proposed roadway connections, District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who represents those in K-Bar Ranch and the rest of New Tampa, held a forum in April at Cypress Pointe Community Church to discuss the thorniest of the proposed connections: Kinnan-Mansfield, where a 20-foot stretch of dirt and shrubs is all that stands in the way of linking the two roads. 

Roughly 40 people attended the meeting, along with the city of Tampa’s administrator of economic opportunity Bob McDonaugh, who has negotiated on the city’s behalf with Pasco’s MPO regarding the Kinnan-Mansfield connection.

McDonaugh lamented that despite negotiating with Pasco County for years, a deal has never been struck, even though he says promises were made by Pasco officials to connect the roads years ago.

“I wanted to get some ideas from you and would like to hear what’s important,” McDonaugh said at the meeting at Cypress Point. “I’m certainly willing to go back to the table and bring our legal staff and transportation people.”

However, McDonaugh admitted that the Wesley Chapel side has been very well entrenched, and has the support of Moore and other county commissioners as well.

“People on the other side like the idea of living on a dead-end street,” he said. “Not in my backyard, they say, and they are very vocal.”

Their were few new ideas put forth, as the smattering of New Tampa residents took turns expressing their frustration. One resident likened the debate with Wesley Chapel to negotiating with a hostage taker; others suggested taking their concerns to the state legislature.

And, K-Bar Ranch resident Cindy Gustavel  even echoed what Wesley Chapel residents have argued — stop building homes in K-Bar Ranch if the needed connections aren’t made.

Last summer, M/I Homes received City of Tampa approval to build 700 more homes in K-Bar Ranch, where residents are already complaining about having only way out of their community and the difficulty in receiving timely police and fire assistance, or what an evacuation in the case of a major emergency might look like.

“It is irresponsible to keep building houses if we only have one point of egress,” Gustavel said. “It is irresponsible to let M/I Homes keep building homes without proper infrastructure.”

Many in attendance seemed to agree that the hopes of connecting Kinnan and Mansfield are as dim as they have ever been. 

“We’re beating our heads against the wall,” said one New Tampa resident, which may have summed up the feelings of the people in the room perfectly. 

Roads, Roads and More Roads!

Florida Department of Transportation officials used matchbox cars to demonstrate how the diverging diamond interchange at I-75/S.R 56 will work. 

S.R. 54 is being widened, SR. 56 is being extended, and the intersection of I-75 and S.R. 56 is being fixed with a futuristic diverging diamond interchange, or DDI. 

All at the same time.

It’s part of an expensive game of catch-up for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as it tries, mostly in vain, to accomplish the impossible task of keeping up with Wesley Chapel’s rapid and no-end-in-sight development with $134.7-million worth of road projects.

Roughly a dozen officials from FDOT held a public information meeting Feb. 26 at Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch to provide an update on its progress with videos, large poster board layouts of the projects and even Matchbox cars to show how the flow of traffic will work in the DDI.

“The area is changing quicker than the roadway network is, as you can see,” says FDOT spokesperson John McShaffrey. “We’re just doing these projects to manage the traffic that we already have. It’s obviously going to help, but the area is going to keep growing, too. These projects won’t be the end of work in this part of Pasco County at all.”

The $33-million diverging diamond, considered the (pardon the pun) gem of the three projects, is what Wesley Chapel retirees Dan and Judy Whaley came to see. Dan says they left with a better understanding of how it will work.

“Once you look at it closely, it makes sense,” he said.

The Whaleys say the DDI, which will help ease congestion from C.R. 54 west of I-75 to Cypress Ridge Blvd. to the east of I-75, is much needed. The thought of driving along S.R. 56 on either side of the interstate is rarely one they entertain, which means fewer trips to the plethora of retail stores and restaurants in the area.

“Only when we have to,” Dan said.

The DDI, scheduled for completion in late 2021, will create more continuous green time through the intersection for traffic, and is expected to clear up one of the hot spots for backed up traffic in Wesley Chapel – the northbound exit ramp off I-75.

“It will clear that queue and reduce it down hugely, so you won’t see that two-mile back up anymore,” says Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC.

Extending S.R. 56

At the other (eastern) end of S.R. 56, a much-simpler six-mile extension is being constructed from Meadow Pointe Blvd. to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

That project is taking place over undeveloped land, and doesn’t have to worry about working around traffic, businesses or homes. However, it has had its own issues, as damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017 delayed the project for weeks and rainy weather has saturated the area east of Morris Bridge Rd.

“The ground is soggy out here,” says Mike Kopotic, construction manager of the CEI office, “but you have to remember this all used to be cattle fields.”

The extension of S.R. 56 from where it currently ends at Meadow Pointe Blvd. to U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills was another topic of discussion at the FDOT Open House.

The extension will be two lanes in each direction, with a multi-use path on the south side and a sidewalk on the north side.

Travelers using Morris Bridge Rd. already can see what looks like a mostly completed extension to the west, while the eastern view is still a work in progress.

Kopotic says the extension, which has a $59.2-million price tag, is expected to be completed by the fall.

S.R. 54 Widening Continues

Just a little further north, the widening of S.R. 54 from east of Curley Rd. to just east of Morris Bridge Rd. is in progress. “It has been a long time in the making,” says Pasco’s S.R. 54 project manager Richard Frank.

Originally, plans were made in 2010 (after roughly a decade of discussions) for a four-lane Zephyrhills Bypass Extension, which would begin just east of Curley Rd. and run along the northern edge of the New River Development of Regional Impact (DRI) and what is now Avalon Park West, before connecting to Eiland Blvd., where Wesley Chapel meets Zephyrhills. The proposed bypass would have relieved traffic on S.R. 54, but those plans were placed on hold in favor of getting S.R. 56 built.

“It will eventually connect to Eiland Blvd.,” Frank says. “The developer or county will develop it. In the meantime, something has to happen out there and that is what this job does.”

S.R. 54 will go from its current two lanes to four lanes, with intermittent dedicated turn lanes, as well as a number of safety improvements, such as limiting left turns out of side streets like Foxwood Blvd., which has been the site of numerous accidents.

Frank says the $42.5-million project will prove to be a lot more than just widening of a 4.5-mile stretch of road.

“We are moving every single utility that’s out there, too,” he said. “Power, water, sewer, fiber optics and your communication lines. It’s not like we can just come out there and lay pipe and we’re done. It’s almost more of a reconstruction project than it is a widening. It’s a brand new road.”

Frank says it should be completed in the spring of 2021.

Is There A Smoother Future On The Horizon For New Tampa Blvd. Bicyclists?

The bike and pedestrian path along New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows is showing its age.

If bike and pedestrian paths are supposed to offer safety and comfort to those riding or walking on them, then the one running along the north side of New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows has failed, say many of those who frequent it.

That may, however, be changing.

Jean Duncan, the City of Tampa’s director of transportation and stormwater services, says that after years of urging from local residents, plans to resurface the aged pathway are now under way.

While there is no schedule or cost yet for the project, Duncan says the city will begin looking at the pavement condition, the drainage issues that leave much of the path puddled hours after rainstorms and any issues with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) in regards to things like wheelchair ramps.

“Once we identify all of that, we will lay out a schedule for a design, which will require us to go out and do some survey work,” Duncan says. “Once that is complete, we will go to construction.”

Duncan says the city is targeting spring of 2019 to begin the project.

That may not satisfy all of Brad Van Rooyen’s wishes for New Tampa Blvd. and its battered pathway, but it is better than nothing, the West Meadows Home Owners Association president says.

Van Rooyen says he has been in discussions with the city about the condition of the road and pathway for more than a decade.

“Walk that path from Publix to the (New Tampa Blvd. Gateway) Bridge and if you don’t twist an ankle, trip over a root or wear out your sneakers, I’d be surprised,” he says.

Van Rooyen may be using a touch of hyperbole to make his point, but he says he has seen people trip on the path, and one bicyclist who hit a bad patch on the pathway crashed to the ground and had to be transported via ambulance to a hospital.

The pathway, critics says, has worn through its original surface, is jagged, cracked and uncomfortable.

That was evident on June 28, when 100 or so bicyclists came out for a memorial ride in honor of Pedro Aguerreberry, the West Meadows resident who was struck by a car and killed while out riding his bike with his two young children.

The bike path was so bad, says Hunter’s Green resident Peter Mirones, that police officers directed the bicyclists to ride in the road.

“After the extremely tragic accident, the memorial ride definitely drew some more attention to it,” Duncan says.

Mirones took District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera out to the path on July 2 to show him the cracked, uneven surface and to take pictures. Viera then asked the city staff to look into it, which it will be doing.

Van Rooyen said that, at one point, West Meadows was going to pave the bike path itself, but then-District 7 City Council member Lisa Montelione, who represented New Tampa from 2011-16, told him it was the city’s responsibility.

Van Rooyen met with city officials, showed them pictures of the deterioration, which was so bad the city’s attorney, “actually made us leave the room, and within 48 hours, some of the really serious potholes and dropoffs were fixed,” he says.

But, they were not enough, as the popular pathway continues to lose its form. Van Rooyen says that almost the entire length of the path — roughly 1.5 miles — needs to be re-finished.

“I get it, the city has budget constraints, and every community has got issues,” Van Rooyen says. “I’m not ungrateful. It’s a step in the right direction. But, the way to solve the problem is to spend the money and get it fixed the right way, so we don’t have to worry about it for the next 15 years. Anything short of a complete repaving is like putting on a Band-Aid. Eventually, it has to all be done.”

Van Rooyen adds that he thinks the city needs to not only take a look at the bike path, but should examine New Tampa Blvd. itself as well, which has weeds and roots growing up through sections of it.

Van Rooyen says that the road was built to handle West Meadows traffic, but once the bridge linked the road to Tampa Palms, there has been a dramatic increase in traffic and it has taken its toll on New Tampa Blvd.

“The road has never been paved, never been seal coated,” he says. “The markings on the road have become so worn down you can’t see the turn lanes. And, you see more and more potholes.”

He adds that the city was under the impression West Meadows was handling its own roads, and anytime someone called the city they were passed along to the HOA or Community Development District (CDD). “Then it just fell off everybody’s radar,” he says.

At least for now, it appears to be back on the city’s radar.