Volume 19 Issue 12
Inside: The New 900 Degree Woodfired Pizza! See page 31!
June 4, 2011
The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Since 1993! THE INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWS MAGAZINES DIRECTLY MAILED TO: WESLEY CHAPEL: Aberdeen ⢠Belle Chase ⢠Brookside ⢠Chapel Pines ⢠Country Walk ⢠Lexington Oaks ⢠Meadow Pointe ⢠New River ⢠Northwood ⢠Pinewalk ⢠Pine Ridge ⢠Saddlebrook ⢠Saddleridge Estates ⢠Saddlewood ⢠Seven Oaks ⢠Lakes at Northwood ⢠The Villages of Wesley Chapel ⢠Wesley Pointe ⢠Westbrook Estates ⢠Williamsburg NEW TAMPA: Arbor Greene ⢠Cory Lake Isles ⢠Cross Creek ⢠Grand Hampton ⢠Heritage Isles ⢠Hunterâs Green ⢠Hunterâs Key ⢠K-Bar Ranch ⢠Lake Forest ⢠Live Oak Preserve ⢠Pebble Creek ⢠Richmond Place ⢠Tampa Palms ⢠West Meadows
Interstate Widening Begins Between Hillsborough & Pasco By Michael Smith Drivers who have become accustomed to seeing traffic cones, warning signs, heavy machinery and construction workers during their daily commute on I-75 between Pasco and Hillsborough counties will be seeing them for at least another year, as highway officials begin a new phase of construction that they say will ultimately result in smoother driving between the two counties and beyond. The newest phase of work, according to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokesman John McShaffrey, is the widening of the interstate, first between S.R. 56 and C.R. 54 in Pasco County, and then later this year, from the area of Fowler Ave. in Hillsborough County north to S.R. 56. McShaffrey says that most of that roughly 15-mile stretch of highway will be increased from four to eight lanes, including three travel lanes
in each direction and one auxiliary lane in each direction to assist drivers entering and exiting the highway at the interchanges and currently-under-renovation rest areas. McShaffrey says the prep work for the widening of the 4.3-mile section between S.R. 56 and C.R. 54 officially began in March and is expected to continue through 2012, at a cost of around $22.5 million. âThatâs a fairly simple project, because it doesnât include any bridge work,â McShaffrey says. Meanwhile, the lower section, between Fowler Ave. and S.R. 56, will be let out for bid in June, he says, and, if the process goes as usual, work should begin there by August or September. That 11-mile stretch of widening is expected to cost somewhere between $125 million-$140 million, although McShaffrey notes that many bids have come in much lower than expected recently, as contractors com-
pete against each other for work in the slow economy. That portion of the widening will probably not be completed until 2015. The Fowler Ave.-S.R. 56 portion of the project also will include a couple of changes to the existing interchanges at I-75 and Fowler Ave . and at I-75 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. At Fowler Ave., an additional lane will be added along Fowler Ave. to Morris Bridge Rd. and a concrete separator will be installed for safety and improved traffic flow for vehicles turning south from Fowler Ave. onto Morris Bridge Rd., and the bridge on Fowler Ave. over the Hillsborough River also will be rebuilt. And, at BBD and I-75, FDOT will be replacing the mainline bridges over BBD to accommodate the widening of BBD and leave room for the eventual addition of light rail or some other future mass transit facility in the median of BBD. That portion of the
This view is looking north at the C.R. 54/I-75 interchange. project also will be let out for bid later this year. McShaffrey says that most of the work is federally funded through gas See âWideningâ on page 5.
Governor Vetoes Funding For PHCCâs Wesley Chapel Campus
NEIGHBORHOOD MAGAZINE!
Recaps Of The Rotary Pigfest & Local Relays For Life, New Church Offers A Spiritual Home; Plenty Of Area Business News & Much More!
Annual âBroadwayâ Show Brings Out The Stars, La Pink Boutique Celebrates Its ReGrand Opening, A Review Of The Newest Sensation In Fresh Pizza & More!
See pages 3-26!
See pages 27-36!
ECRWSS
NEWS, BUSINESS, SPORTS & EDUCATION UPDATES
ing in future years and thank the Pasco County legislative delegation for their support and efforts this year.â The last part was a nod to District 61 State Rep. Will Weatherford (RWesley Chapel), who championed the PHCC project and helped get the funding included in the budget. Not everyone supported the project, however. Florida TaxWatch, which scans the state budget for what it deems to be unnecessary expenditures, had labeled the PHCC funding as one of its âturkeysâ for this year, and had urged the governor to veto it. See âNews Briefsâ on page 4.
Postal Customer
Also Inside This Issue!
from the state for the new campus over the past five years, and was scheduled to receive the final $6.9 million in this yearâs state budget. That amount was part of a package of college construction projects across Florida totaling more than $100 million. Scott, however, vetoed the entire package when he signed the stateâs $69.1-billion budget last week. That final total reflected a record-high total of cuts from the budget passed by the state legislature, equalling more than $615 million. A statement issued by PHCC officials reflected their disappointment with Scottâs action. âThe residents of Pasco County can rest assured that this project will move forward, though the completion may be delayed,â the statement says. âWe will continue to pursue this fund-
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TAMPA FL PERMIT 2801
Plans for building a new local campus for Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) were put on hold, at least for the foreseeable future, after Fla. Gov. Rick Scott cut funding for the project from the 2011-12 state budget. PHCC officials had hoped to
break ground on the new campus this summer, on 60 acres of land off S.R. 56 in the Wiregrass Ranch development in Wesley Chapel (which was donated to the college by the Porter family for that purpose), and to open the facility to its first class of students by January 2014. The college already had received more than $45 million in installments
Dated Material Please Rush!
By Michael Smith
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 ⢠Volume 19, Issue 12 ⢠June 4, 2011 ⢠www.WCNeighborhoodNews.com
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