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DOT Planning To Widen S.R. 54

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By GEOFF FOX, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2007

Updated: 11/15/2007 09:44 pm

ZEPHYRHILLS - Like most people who routinely drive on State Road 54 east of Interstate 75, Kruth Sombutmai is tired of the congestion.

The owner of Hill's Family Restaurant & Grocery at S.R. 54 and Morris Bridge Road said it sometimes takes an hour to get from his business to the interstate.

During a public workshop conducted this week by the state Department of Transportation and other agencies, Sombutmai also learned that a proposed widening project could claim about one-third of a 2.75-acre residential tract he owns nearby. The informal hearing was held at The Links of Lake Bernadette.

"They need to widen the road," he said, "but I'm not happy. I could lose 30 percent of my land. Geez!"

If Sombutmai loses anything, it probably won't be for several years.

While there are plans to widen a roughly 4 1/2 -mile stretch of S.R. 54, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road, the project isn't scheduled to be designed until 2011 or 2012, and it is currently unfunded.
DOT officials said during Wednesday's workshop that the project could take two years to design, two more years to purchase rights of way and another two years to construct.

Put another way: The process of widening the heavily congested thoroughfare might not begin until 2015.
Initial plans include widening the two-lane road to six lanes from Curley to Foxwood Boulevard, and to four lanes from Foxwood to Morris Bridge. The work is projected to cost $105 million to $122 million.

About 24,000 vehicles per day use that stretch of S.R. 54, up from about 15,000 vehicles per day in 2000. By 2030, that number is likely to be about 40,000, according to information provided by DOT.

Widening between Curley and Morris Bridge will be the second phase of improvements for S.R. 54. County and state officials plan to begin widening the road between I-75 and Curley next year.

While not everyone was happy with the initial plans at Wednesday's meeting, most people seemed to agree that the road needs widening.

Magdalena Contreras of Zephyrhills said traffic has become worse since she moved to the area a few years ago.

"If the road isn't widened, we couldn't get around," she said. "When I bought my house, I thought it would be nice and quiet."

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski contributed to this report. Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 948-4217 or gfox@tampatrib.com.

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