Plans for a Zephyrhills Bypass, originally planned to connect Curley Road to Eiland Boulevard in eastern Pasco County, will not move forward anytime soon, according to Pasco County. The proposed roadway has been discussed for more than 17 years.
Residents of the New River Township neighborhood, located on State Road 54 east of Meadow Pointe Boulevard, contacted News Channel 8 about the project, wondering why the bypass hasn’t been built.
The home buyers say they were told the neighborhood would eventually have two access points, one from SR-54, and the other via the Zephyrhills Bypass.
Instead, River Glen Boulevard, located on the east side of the neighborhood, is a dead end, although it could eventually be developed as part of the master-planned community Avalon Park West. The portion of the roadway, located off of Curley Road, that would become the bypass remains an unpaved rural road.
As recently as 2015, an agreement with a land developer that owns the land between both points indicates that, as part of a proposed master planned urban development Chapel Crossings, construction of the bypass would be included in the project, along with residential and retail structures.
However, as of January, 2019, the developer hasn’t submitted any site plans for any portion of Chapel Crossings. Those plans would have to undergo a review process and receive permits for construction.
The County says with the completion of the new State Road 56 extension, the widening of SR-54 currently underway, and plans for improving Overpass Road, combined with the need to reallocate funding for other high-priority projects, the Zephyrhills Bypass is no longer programmed in the 15-Year Transportation Capital Plan, but an approved route study for future alignment of the bypass will be re-evaluated following completion of the east/west road construction to determine future needs and the timing for those improvements.
News Channel 8 reached out to the developers of Avalon Park West for an update on future phases of that project, but did not receive a response.
The 2019-2033 Pasco County Capital Improvement Projects document is available at this link.
You can learn more about the State Road 56 construction here, and the State Road 54 construction here.
Contact traffic reporter Meredyth Censullo with your road construction questions, or complaints about your commute, at mcensullo@wfla.com or on Facebook at WFLAMeredyth.
