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Upgrade to ready SR 52 for sprawl
With a 6,700-home development on the way, work is set to begin on widening a crucial section of State Road 52.
By JAMES THORNER
Published August 29, 2005
SAN ANTONIO - As the first concrete is poured on the old Cannon Ranch - the start of the 6,700-home Bella Verde project - thoughts have turned to the narrow lanes, bad curves and bumpy pavement of State Road 52.
What has been acceptable for rural traffic will no longer suffice for the suburbs popping up in that part of Pasco County. So in less than two years work begins on widening SR 52 for 1.9 miles from Interstate 75 to the Bella Verde entrance.
The county initially plans to upgrade SR 52 to a four-lane divided highway. But if Bella Verde and other developments catch on with buyers, a six-lane highway could come sooner rather than later.
"What we have hopefully is a thoughtful project well-planned for the future," said Elton Smith, a consulting engineer who presented the latest plans for SR 52 to county commissioners last week.
Smith called SR 52 an old road that flunks modern design tests. Rated on its ability to move traffic, the state Department of Transportation scores that section of SR 52 "D." By next year, the grade should slip to "F."
Work on the 1.9-mile leg of SR 52 is scheduled to begin in June 2007. It won't happen in isolation. To handle six lanes underneath, the I-75 overpass at SR 52 will be rebuilt and the interchange rearranged.
Even more ambitious is the rerouting of SR 52 to Dade City.
Instead of jogging north and twisting around San Antonio and Saint Leo University, SR 52 will cut through hilly orange groves and link up with Clinton Avenue.
Known as the Clinton Avenue Extension, the new SR 52 would eventually cross Bella Verde, south of the current SR 52, before merging with existing lanes near I-75.
For the 1.9-mile project, engineers chose from three potential SR 52 alignments. Building the extra lanes south of the existing highway, on undeveloped pasture, was the obvious choice.
A northern route would mean moving four houses and a church, affecting more wetlands and spending another $2.9-million.
[Last modified August 29, 2005, 03:00:19]
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