Florida Turnpike Enterprise outlines Suncoast Parkway PD&E study, including proposed Rangeland interchange and trail crossings

Florida Turnpike Enterprise project staff told the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization board on April 10, 2025, that the Suncoast Parkway planning, design and environmental (PD&E) study is in its late stages and will be finalized this summer, and that design on the corridor’s southern segment is expected to advance into contract later this year.

The PD&E study covers the Suncoast Parkway corridor from just south of Van Dyke Road to State Road 52. FTE told the MPO the study’s purpose is to address rapid population and traffic growth, reduce congestion and crashes, improve travel‑time reliability and optimize emergency response. The study evaluates widening the parkway in segments—building to eight lanes in the southernmost segment to meet a projected 2040 need and providing six lanes farther north for longer‑term demand—and recommends interchange and operational improvements at several crossings, including State Road 54, Ridge Road and a potential new interchange at Rangeland Boulevard.

Greg Moore, identified in the meeting as the FTE project manager, said the study will support environmental review and project design. “We’re in the late stages and should be able to finalize the project documentation sometime this summer,” Moore said. He added that design on the southern segment from just south of Van Dyke Road to north of Lutz Lake Fern Road is expected to advance and be under contract by the end of the year.

The study includes pedestrian and bicycle connectivity as a consistent element at interchange locations. FTE presented plans for shared‑use paths through interchanges and separate structures for trail crossings where needed; at Rangeland Boulevard the Suncoast Trail would pass under the roadway and the trail alignment was shown looping to avoid sharp turns. FTE also described plans for a trail overpass at State Road 52 and a coordinated pedestrian overpass at State Road 54 that local officials said is grant‑funded and being coordinated with the project footprint.

FTE presented a conceptual footprint for a Rangeland Boulevard interchange that would use loop ramps in the north quadrants, provide two‑way connectivity in all directions and require additional pavement in the vicinity of the interchange. Moore said the interchange footprint as presented would require about 10 acres initially but later said the total property acquisition estimate had been revised upward; he referenced a slide showing roughly 18.2 acres (a meeting participant later said 18.8 acres). He also said interchange design must meet safety and operational criteria to avoid ramp backups that could affect mainline travel.

On project scope and cost, the enterprise representative said the corridor study covers a large project area and noted an overall estimated cost of about $984,000,000 for the full stretch under study. FTE told the MPO the work is being planned and delivered in segments—environmental and planning now, then phased design, right‑of‑way acquisition and construction over many years. Moore said the study’s analyses use a 2050 planning horizon for most elements and forecasted needs to guide interchange and typical section decisions.

County staff and other presenters described nearer‑term elements coordinated with FTE. Nicky Renton, Pasco County engineer, said the county has completed design and permits for a signal and ramp work at Ridge Road and is ready to award a construction contract once an agreement with FTE is in place. “Design is finished, permitted. We’re ready to award the construction contract… Once that agreement is done, we advertise and we build. So soon,” Renton said. Meeting participants also flagged long signal‑pole lead times as a practical schedule constraint.

FTE emphasized public and agency involvement: the enterprise held a virtual public meeting earlier in the week and scheduled an in‑person public hearing for the evening the same day as the MPO meeting, with an oral presentation and a formal comment period. Moore said the study began in 2023, carried an alternatives public meeting in 2024 and is on track to wrap up documentation this summer, after which design and right‑of‑way programming will determine construction timing. He cautioned that portions of the corridor remain outside the five‑year funding window and that construction will be phased.

The presentation prompted questions about trail alignment, property impacts and timing. FTE said some design segments are already programmed for near‑term design and that the first construction‑level work is likely to be nearer in the southern design segment; other segments will move later as funding and right‑of‑way are secured. Moore and county staff said local planning and design teams will continue coordination and that public comment received at hearings will be included in the project record.

The study materials, public hearing recording and comment forms were posted on the project website; FTE encouraged interested residents to review the material and submit comments to the formal record.

Ending: MPO staff noted the project will be presented at a regional meeting (Tri‑County) and encouraged attendance at the public hearing that evening. The MPO’s next meeting was scheduled for May 8, 2025.