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Options Widen For Lithia-Pinecrest Road Project

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By LAURA FRAZIER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2008

LITHIA - Hillsborough County officials on Tuesday will present to the public three plans for widening Lithia-Pinecrest Road to relieve congestion on one of east Hillsborough County's most heavily traveled commuter arteries.

The county plans to widen the road between County Road 39 in Lithia and State Road 60 in Brandon.

Reg Alford, the county's project manager, said options under consideration address whether to widen the road to four or six lanes and whether the new lanes should be built on the east or west side of the road – or both.

Alford said if both sides of Lithia-Pinecrest are widened, "it would meander in areas where there are subdivisions and walls and commercial businesses so as not to impact those areas."

County and Florida Department of Transportation officials will be on hand at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Palmetto Club in FishHawk Ranch to gather public comment and field questions.

"We want to get information from the general public about which plan they would prefer," Alford said.

Residents already are making their opinions known. Gladys Will, who lives off Lithia-Pinecrest on Hummingbird Lane, said she will attend the workshop to express her concerns.

"For one thing, we do not need six lanes with a 22-foot median in between," she said. "It is just too much."

The county is scheduled to roll out its final recommendations for the project at a public hearing next spring.

Funding through the design stage is in place, but Alford said no county funding is budgeted or available for construction.

"That's why we're doing all the studies according to federal highway standards -- to meet federal guidelines and qualify for up to 50 percent construction funding," he said.

The earliest construction could begin sometime in 2012.

The county is coordinating the project with developer Newland Communities' plans to widen a 1-mile stretch of Lithia-Pinecrest to four lanes between Adelaide and Bloomingdale avenues. The developer agreed to pay for the improvements when it bought land that Pulte Homes previously planned to develop into the Lake Hutto development.

"We are coordinating with Newland now as they do their [four-lane] design so it will be expandable if it's ever decided to go with six lanes," Alford said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Public workshop where residents can weigh in on options to widen Lithia-Pinecrest Road

WHEN: 6:30–8 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE The Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch, 17004 Dorman Rd., Lithia

INFO: Steve Valdez, (813) 272-5275

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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