Pasco MPO keeps Orange Belt Trail, advances pedestrian overpasses and major road projects in revised priorities list

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a revised list of priority projects at its May 2025 meeting, keeping the Orange Belt Trail and several SunTrail-eligible segments on the list while moving other projects toward removal where funding is already programmed.

The vote keeps projects eligible for discretionary funding and signals continued staff work with FDOT and county departments to refine designs, schedules and right-of-way plans for major corridors and trail segments.

MPO Executive Director Tom McCormick presented the revised project list and described current program status for projects that remain or are being removed from the MPO list. FDOT government liaison Suzanne Ziegler and Brian Hunter, representing the Florida Department of Transportation, provided schedule updates: the State Road 54 pedestrian overpass at the Suncoast Parkway is in phase 3 of design and is scheduled to be advertised for construction in December, while the State Road 52 overpass at Suncoast Parkway will be advertised for construction imminently, with preliminary contractor selection and potential ground work expected in mid‑year. McCormick also highlighted projects now funded in the county capital plan that the MPO recommends removing from the priority list because they no longer need MPO-discretionary funding.

On the Bayou Trail connection under the River Gulf corridor, FDOT said the project is in PD&E and under a right-of-way study; Brian Hunter said staff are scoping 15% line and grade work to define right-of-way needs and then move into full design. For the longstanding State Road 41/54 interchange project, FDOT staff described a revised alignment analysis that considers putting State Road 41 over 54 (rather than 54 over 41) to reduce right-of-way costs; staff said right-of-way funding is shown in the plan for fiscal 2029 and that construction would likely follow two to three years after right-of-way work begins, with one board member estimating full construction could be roughly seven years out.

Commissioners and staff pressed for clarity on pedestrian access and trail connections. Commissioners asked whether planned underpasses and pedestrian overpasses will connect to sidewalks or multiuse pathways, and FDOT staff and county engineers described coordination underway to confirm south-side sidewalk connections on SR 52, to check underpass tie-ins, and to confirm whether developer-conveyed frontage will provide continuous pedestrian connections. County staff noted that some existing development approvals already include 5-foot sidewalks on frontage and that the county is pursuing land‑development‑code changes to require wider, multiuse facilities where those are the vision for the roadway.

The MPO also discussed the Orange Belt Trail segments and a submitted SunTrail application for construction in fiscal 2030–31; staff said the application was submitted in December 2024 and the county awaited award decisions. Board members asked staff to retain certain projects on the list because of high discretionary- or grant-funding probability, including Bud Bexley, Elan Boulevard and the Starkey Trail overpass.

The board approved the staff recommendation to revise the priority list, including the suggested removals and an amendment to include an extended feasibility limit for the Old Dixie Highway multiuse path to reach the Arepika/Herndon (Hernando County) line. The motion passed unanimously.

Staff committed to follow up with FDOT and county planning staff to confirm letting/construction dates and to resolve developer coordination questions (including an apparent communication gap flagged by a developer about a planned pedestrian overpass at Starkey/54).