Traffic Rolls On Long-Awaited Realignment Of State Road 52 In Pasco

ST. LEO, FL — After more than three years under construction, Pasco County and Florida Department of Transportation officials are celebrating the opening of the new State Road 52 alignment from west Mirada Boulevard to Clinton Avenue.

Florida Department of Transportation District Seven Secretary David W. Gwynn was on hand to cut the ribbon on the 7-mile, $82 million project that widened and realigned State Road 52 from Uradco Place to Fort King Road in eastern Pasco County.

Construction on the project began in November 2019 to accommodate traffic in the quickly growing East Pasco area including MetroPlaces' first-in-the-country 7-acre recreational crystal lagoon development in the mixed-used community of Epperson on King Lake in Wesley Chapel, north of State Road 54 at Curley Road and Overpass Road.

Nearby, work is proceeding on the Mirada mixed-used community in San Antonio where MetroPlaces is constructing a 15-acre crystal lagoon, the largest in the country.

Epperson and Mirada will anchor the nation’s first "Smart Gigabit Community" built from the ground up on a framework of the fastest internet and WiFi speeds. This means acres of crystal clear blue waters and an area ignited by technology, all in Pasco County.

When completed, the entire "Connected City" corridor will have around 37,000 homes and more than 12 million square feet of commercial space, including office, retail, state-of-the-art educational, medical and technology facilities.

Leading real estate research firm Zonda recently listed Epperson and Mirada among the 10 fastest-growing new-home communities in Tampa Bay.

Initially, the traffic configuration will consist of one lane in each direction (westbound and eastbound) divided by a median from the beginning of the project limits at Uradco Place to Prospect Road.

Traffic will converge just east of Prospect Road into the current two-lane, two-way configuration along Clinton Avenue through the end limits just west of Ft. King Road.

Traffic signals will be operational at Mirada Boulevard, Curley Road and Prospect Road. Clinton Avenue between Pasadena Avenue and U.S. 301 will become part of the new SR 52.

Construction will continue all along the new corridor into summer to open additional lanes and complete the project later in the year.

Drivers wishing to access old SR 52 will need to use Mirada Boulevard, Curley Road or Prospect Road. The section of the current SR 52 from west of Mirada Boulevard to U.S. 301 will be designated as County Road 52.

Related:

• New I-75 Interchange At Overpass Road Officially Opens Wednesday
• Overpass Road To Close For Year To Replace I-75 Bridge
• Nation's 1st Crystal Lagoon Opens In Wesley Chapel
• Pasco County Lauded For Creating America's 1st Connected City
• Epperson's Sales Pace Among Top 50 For U.S. Communities
• Dozens Tour Medley At Mirada And Nearby Crystal Lagoon
• Over 200 Attend Medley At Mirada Grand Opening

The short section of the old alignment near the west end between Emmaus Cemetery Road and Piney Grove Baptist Church is open to local traffic only. Drivers wishing to access that area from new SR 52 can do so by using Mirada Boulevard between CR 52 and the new alignment of SR 52.

As part of the new transportation network serving the area, the FDOT also celebrated the opening of a new interstate interchange on Interstate 75 at Overpass Road, about 3.5 miles south of SR 52.

The new diamond interchange includes a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

To accommodate the new interchange, Overpass Road was widened from two lanes to four lanes between the interstate and Old Pasco Road and six lanes between the interstate and Boyette Road. Blair Drive was realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road and McKendree Road was realigned to connect with Boyette Road.

This $64.6 million project also included a 10-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of Overpass Road (next to the westbound traffic lanes) and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on the south side.

Located about halfway between the CR 54 and SR 52 interchanges, the new Exit 282 provides an alternative commuting option for drivers with exit and entrance ramps in both directions of I-75.