I-75 Construction Topic of Meeting Tonight

As widening work continues on Interstate 75 from Temple Terrace to Wesley Chapel, the Florida Department of Transportation is considering a change to its plans in the Pasco County area.

FDOT will host a public hearing tonight, Dec. 8, to address those proposed changes. The meeting takes place at Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel at 5 p.m.

At issue is the section of the interstate from County Road 54 to State Road 52, specifically in the area of Overpass Road in Wesley Chapel, said Kristen Carson, FDOT’s spokeswoman.

“The previously approved design plans include three travel lanes in each direction with 10-foot paved shoulders and a 64-foot median,” Carson wrote in an email. “This reevaluation proposes a change to the I-75 mainline for a distance of approximately ½ mile in the vicinity of Overpass Road.  The proposed typical section under the Overpass Road bridge will change from widening to the outside to widening to the inside to avoid replacing the Overpass Road bridge.”

The project also calls for widening State Road 52 in the vicinity of I-75.

“Reconstruction of a portion of S.R. 52 in the vicinity of the I-75 interchange was included in the previously approved I-75 environmental documents,” Carson wrote. “The reevaluation proposes to change the S.R. 52 roadway section from the previously approved 4-lane typical section to a 6-lane section to match the future widening of S.R. 52 to the west and east of I-75.  Access to properties on the north side of S.R. 52 is proposed to change with the addition of a frontage road along the north side of S.R. 52.  In addition, the access for Old Tampa Bay Drive is proposed to change to connect to the new frontage road on the north side.“

At this point, I-75 widening work has been funded for the segment of road from Fowler Avenue in Temple Terrace to State Road 56 in the Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel area. Right of way acquisition has been funded for the segment of I-75 from County Road 54 to State Road 52. That phase of the project is expected to take place between 2012-2015 and has an estimated cost of $37.6 million. Estimated construction costs for this segment are $73.1 million. No funding is yet available for this part of the widening, Carson said.

Carson urges motorists and affected property owners interested in the project to attend tonight’s public hearing.

“DOT is holding this public hearing to get input from the community and to show the recent design changes to the to the portion of the corridor from north of C.R. 54 to north of S.R. 52.”

Tonight's meeting starts at 5 p.m. with a formal hearing at 6. For more information about ongoing construction projects, visit FDOT online.