WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Pasco County is moving forward with plans to overhaul Wesley Chapel Boulevard.
County commissioners voted in favor of the plan in late April. In a unanimous vote, commissioners approved the contract with David Nelson Construction for nearly $70 million.
What You Need To Know
- Wesley Chapel Boulevard to Old Pasco Road to become six lanes
- Contruction expected to take 3 years
- Plans were held up while county conducted studies, acquired needed land
Wesley Chapel Boulevard starts at six lanes at its southern end and narrows to two lanes before widening once again as drivers approach Old Pasco Road. The two wider stretches of the road also include a sidewalk.
Gerber Collision sits on the stretch of Wesley Chapel Boulevard that’s only two lanes. General Manager Scott Keith says since he started at the auto body shop in 2018, business has steadily grown. He attributes that to the amount of people moving to the area and driving on now heavily populated roads.
He says on Wesley Chapel Boulevard he believes speed isn’t the problem, it’s the way the lanes fluctuate and the numbers of cars on the road during peak hours.
“It’s the stopping and starting that’s causing the problem,” he said.
Under the approved plan, all of Wesley Chapel Boulevard will be converted to six lanes complete with a sidewalk and bike lanes. The widening plan has been in talks for years but was called as the county performed drainage studies and worked to acquire all of the property needed for the redesign.
“Anytime we can improve infrastructure I think that’s a good thing,” Keith said, “It’s progress and there’s a lot more people here than there were.”
Construction is expected to start soon and wrap up by May 2027.
