LAND O’ LAKES — Traffic backs up daily in all directions at the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 (Land O' Lakes Boulevard), and the Florida Department of Transportation is proposing a solution with a hefty price tag.
FDOT is recommending a $516 million diverging diamond interchange with U.S. 41 elevated over S.R. 54 and S.R. 597 (Dale Mabry Highway) — similar to the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel.
The agency is conducting a Project Development and Environment study for the proposed improvements. A virtual project update is available for public comment through Feb. 18.
According to FDOT, S.R. 54 is one of two major east-west arterials connecting eastern and western Pasco County and provides connections to several regional north-south routes, including U.S. 19, Suncoast Parkway, U.S. 41, I-75, U.S. 301 and U.S. 98.
The need for the project stems from projected traffic growth, population increases and employment expansion, FDOT said. S.R. 54 also serves as a primary evacuation route.
The study aims to identify and evaluate alternatives that will improve traffic flow, increase roadway capacity and reduce congestion.
FDOT presented the project to the public in 2025, holding a town hall in April at Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex. More than 100 people attended in person and virtually to hear details and voice concerns about how the project would affect nearby residences and businesses during right of way acquisition and how new traffic patterns would affect neighborhood access.
One resident questioned whether the project would adequately address traffic on two of the county's main routes.
"This solution doesn't take into account the actual residents, but only those who drive through (the intersection) twice a day," the resident said.
FDOT projects annual average daily traffic will grow more than 2% on S.R. 54 and more than 1% on U.S. 41 by 2045. Daily traffic in 2019 was 63,000 on S.R. 54 and 69,000 on U.S. 41. By 2045, those numbers are expected to reach 98,000 on S.R. 54 and 87,000 on U.S. 41.
The project would affect about two dozen businesses, 10 commercial sites and at least four residential properties.
Right of way acquisition is not scheduled until 2028-30, and no construction date has been set. The project has not been funded.