Wesley Chapel 2017 Year In Review: Roads

Kinnan Mansfield
The gap at Kinnan and Mansfield.

Roads Busier, But Help Is Coming

Name a road in Wesley Chapel, and you can probably also name a problem with it.

S.R. 54 isn’t wide enough.

S.R. 56 has I-75, making for one of the area’s worst junctions.

And Bruce B. Downs Blvd….well, don’t get us started on BBD.

And those are just the big roads. All across Wesley Chapel, the quick speed of development left a lot area residents complaining about crowding roads that are already, well, crowded.

The good news in 2017, however, was that help seemed to be on the way, as most of the hotspots — and by hot we mean causing tempers to flare — are being addressed by the county, although all of these projects will require some patience.

In 2017, wheels started turning for S.R. 56, which is practically getting a complete makeover.

On the west end, it was announced that the brutal S.R. 56 and I-75 intersection, which turns simple chores — like going to the Tampa Premium Outlets or even just coming home from work and trying to get through the northbound off ramp — into seemingly endless expeditions, should begin work this year on a $24.1-million Diverging Diamond Interchange project that will, presumably, fix some of the junction’s major problems.

The news of a 2018 groundbreaking was welcomed, considering how much better it was than the original 2024 and 2020 start dates.

At the east end of S.R. 56, work kicked off on extending the road all the way to from Meadow Pointe Blvd. to U.S. Hwy. 301/S.R. 41 and into Zephyrhills, expected to be a boon for area businesses. Originally planned to be two lanes, the $65-million project will now be four lanes.

On S.R. 54, Wesley Chapel Blvd. was widened to the south and, to the east, work started in November on widening S.R. 54 from Curley Rd. to U.S. 301.

The BBD widening project has an end in sight…we hope.

As for BBD, we don’t want to give you any spoilers, but for our “Best Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” issue coming out next month, we asked for your opinion on the worst intersection in our distribution areas (New Tampa and Wesley Chapel), and 11 BBD intersections from Tampa Palms all the way through Wesley Chapel were cited.

Yes, 11.

And a number of smaller roads —Old Pasco Rd., Meadow Pointe Blvd., Curley Rd. — also can be thorns in the side of drivers, but the one that drew the most attention was the potential connection of Pasco County’s Mansfield Blvd. to Hillsborough County’s Kinnan St.

There were three major developments in 2017: Pasco County commissioned a study of the connection (along with two other possible connections to New Tampa) in April, a public meeting was held in May at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch to solicit responses, and the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners pledged $250,000 in September to help make the connection happen.

Will it?

Not without a big fight. 

New Tampa 2017 Year in Review: Roads

TOP STORIES OF 2017: Bruce B. Downs, Kinnan-Mansfield Fired Up Debates

Things heated up on local roads in 2017, primarily the tempers of drivers who are finding the stretch of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. that slices through New Tampa more maddening than ever.

While Segment A of the widening of the road is all but wrapped up, Segment D — from Pebble Creek Blvd. to County Line Rd. — continues to plague New Tampa travelers. Next year, our year-in-review might just be about the great success of the project, as it is expected to conclude in late 2018. That may be, however, of little solace to those getting stuck in traffic now in front of Wharton High, a hot spot of the current BBD construction.

We don’t want to give you any spoilers, but for our Best Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” issue coming out next month, we a
sked for your opinion on the worst intersection in New Tampa, and 11 of the BBD intersections made our readers’  list. Yes, 11.

However, none have provided as much angst as the intersection of BBD and Cross Creek Blvd., which in 2017 rose to new heights for snarling traffic. A recent study by the city led to new light patterns at the troublesome intersection in early December, but those results remain inconclusive.

BBD had some company, though, when it came to controversial road debates in 2017.

Kinnan-Mansfield

This photo taken by a drone shows the 60-foot gap between Kinnan St. (on the bottom) and Mansfield Blvd. Hillsborough and Pasco counties are stalemated on the issue but continue to discuss connecting the two roads.

The potential connection of Hillsborough County’s Kinnan St. to Pasco County’s Mansfield Blvd. also inched closer to a fever pitch after a series of discussions between residents and Hillsborough and Pasco County representatives.

Pasco County commissioned a study of the connection (along with two other possible connections) in April, a public meeting was held in May at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch to solicit responses, and the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners pledged $250,000 in September to help make the connection happen.

Will it? Not witho

ut a big fight. And, that battle will begin in earnest this year.

Morris Bridge Rd.

Flooding on Morris Bridge Rd. had some residents questioning that road’s future, which might even one day involve a widening north of Cross Creek Blvd.

I-75 At S.R. 56

Of special interest to many commuters who prefer to avoid driving south on BBD to get to the interstate, the Divergin

g Diamond Interchange (DDI) for I-75 at S.R. 56 is closer after receiving some good news in 2017.

 

A Florida Department of Transportation project that is expected to ease the flow of traffic at the S.R. 56 and I-75 intersection near Tampa Premium Outlets, was originally scheduled for a 2024 start in construction. Now, however, it looks like shovels will hit the dirt in 2018.

Be patient, people. It’s all going to get better.

*crosses fingers*

Roadway Connections Open House Apr. 18!

The oft-argued merits of a connection point between Wesley Chapel’s Mansfield Blvd. and New Tampa’s Kinnan Dr. is set to get a new look, but that won’t be the only route back and forth between Hillsborough and Pasco counties that the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) plans on looking at in less than two weeks.

The MPO will hold an open house-style meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, in order to gather public comments and other information to be used in the upcoming Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study.

The study is designed to evaluate the pros and cons of three potential roadway connections between Wesley Chapel and New Tampa (red circles on map above):

Mansfield Blvd. & Kinnan St., a long sought-after connection by many in the Cross Creek and K-Bar Ranch area, though it also has its share of opponents.

Meadow Pointe Blvd. & the Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension, which leads right into the planned K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and would provide easier access to Morris Bridge Rd.

Wyndfields Blvd. & the Wyndfields Blvd. extension, which would also connect directly to both K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd.

“We are just starting the process, and the purpose of the first meeting is to get public input about what issues there are on both sides,’’ says Pasco County transportation engineer Ali Atefi, P.E.

Kinnan St. and Mansfield Blvd. have been separated by about 50 feet of grass, trees and sometimes garbage, for years. In 2016, Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore and then-Tampa District 7 City Council member Lisa Montelione met to discuss connecting the roadways, but those talks stalled.

New District 7 City Councilman Luis Viera made the connection point one of the staples of his winning campaign, and continues to say he would like to push to bring the roads together.

“From both sides, we have had a request for a connection and, we’ve had people that don’t want to connect,’’ Atefi says. “But, these connections are shown on our long range plans and we want to do an in-depth study and figure out the positive and negatives.”

The open house, which Atefi says “is not a debate,” will include an MPO summary at 6 p.m., followed by an opportunity for those attending to examine area maps and to voice their opinions. Stations will be set up, and representatives from Pasco County Planning & Development, the MPO and the consulting team will be available to answer questions.

The public is welcome to drop in anytime between 5:30 and 7:30.

Atefi says other meetings will be held in the future, and the public will also be encouraged to take online surveys to help determine what, or if any, connections should be made.

The PHSC-Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch is located at 2727 Mansfield Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. For more information about transportation planning in Pasco County, visit the MPO website at PascoMPO.net.