Wesley Chapel Boulevard Expansion to Begin This Year

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Pasco County officials have announced plans to expand a 3.5-mile stretch of Wesley Chapel Boulevard to six lanes. This project addresses the need for improved infrastructure due to the area's rapid growth.

Assistant County Engineer Panos Kontses explained that the first segment, from Pondside Drive to Magnolia Boulevard, will expand from two lanes to six lanes over 2.9 miles. The remaining segment, from north of Magnolia Road to Old Pasco Road, will add two lanes and a median to the existing four lanes over a 0.6-mile distance.

In addition to expanding the road, the project will introduce safer options for pedestrians, including a multi-use path, sidewalks, and bike lanes. A median will also be added to restrict left turns to specific locations, enhancing safety for all road users.

The need for this expansion became evident as traffic projections grew significantly. Originally estimated at 420 to 1,000 cars per day in 2008, the new regional transportation model in 2014 projected traffic volumes of 50,000 to 52,000 cars per day. This necessitated upgrading the plans from a four-lane to a six-lane road to accommodate the increased traffic.

Construction is set to begin in August and is expected to take approximately three years to complete, with a total cost of $95 million.

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