Current Status: Suncoast Parkway 2 project suspended (paused).
(Please click here for more information)
Project Information
The Suncoast Parkway currently extends from the Veterans Expressway in Tampa to U.S. Highway 98 near the Hernando-Citrus county line, a distance of approximately 42 miles. The proposed Suncoast Parkway 2 project would extend northward approximately 27 miles through Hernando and Citrus Counties from U.S. 98 to U.S. 19.
The Suncoast Parkway is an important part of the Florida Intrastate Highway System, or FIHS, providing a high-speed, high-volume facility on the west coast of Florida. In addition to its importance as a part of the FIHS, the Suncoast Parkway 2 project would provide needed relief to the local roadway network. As one of the fastest growing counties in the state, traffic volumes in Citrus County are expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. The Suncoast Parkway 2 project would provide valuable and needed additional traffic capacity to meet these future local traffic demands.
A Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study was initiated in 1994 for the Suncoast Parkway 2 project. The study was conducted in accordance with all applicable state laws and FDOT policies and procedures and included conducting an extensive public involvement program. The entire process was documented in the approved 1998 State Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), resulting in a “build” option with an approved alignment.
In September 2006, the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) appeared before the Citrus County Commission to present options for continuing the development of the Suncoast Parkway 2. Following an extensive public discussion, the County Commission endorsed a plan to move forward with the alignment approved in the 1998 SEIR.
In the summer of 2007, the FTE contracted with several engineering consultants to prepare construction plans for the northward extension of the Suncoast Parkway from north Hernando County through Citrus County. The consultants have been moving forward with the alignment, concepts and commitments developed in the approved State Environmental Impact Report signed on February 6, 1998. Due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the approval of the 1998 SEIR, a reevaluation is being done in conjunction with the design phase of the project.
In the summer of 2008, the FTE’s consultants were approximately 30 percent complete in developing the construction plans. More than 800 people attended a Design Public Information Meeting held on July 24, 2008, at the Citrus County National Guard Armory. Please click here for more information on the public meeting.
The FTE is nearing completion of the 60% design phase.
