PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Throughout most of the day, you’ll find congestion on Wesley Chapel Boulevard.
“My worst fear is that somebody is going to get killed,” said Patricia Strowbridge, who lives nearby.
It’s a busy area that draws in traffic.
“We have a gas station, airport, restaurants, daycare, apartments, school buses,” said Strowbridge.
Some people who live along Wesley Chapel Boulevard near Tampa Downs Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard told ABC Action News that they fear for their safety.
“You’re playing Russian Roulette trying to get into your neighborhood without a traffic light,” said Lisa Green, who also lives nearby. She reached out to ABC Action News about this issue.
Their neighborhoods, Kings Landing and Quail Hollow, don’t have a traffic light or turning lanes.
“Without a turning lane, you will have four or five cars stacked trying to turn in,” said Green.
“There have been some crashes. People have hit trees, hit signs, hit different things, hit each other, and sometimes knock our poles down and black our lights out,” said Strowbridge.
Neighbors said the heavy congestion and speeding make it even more difficult to get into and out of their subdivisions.
“When you’re coming out of the neighborhood parked right here with the traffic coming down, you can sit here for 10 minutes just trying to turn out. The stoplights that are further down the road, they’re not timed well. So you can wait 10 minutes just to turn out,” said Green.
“So you just stay there for a while, and then after a while, you say, well, I’m just going to have to try to shoot across and try to make it,” said Strowbridge.
Wesley Chapel has seen a lot of growth over the years, and people who live in the area fear more development in the future will make their traffic safety concerns worse.
“We’ve asked the county for years—what can they do? And they have told us one thing or another, but we haven’t gotten any results,” said Strowbridge.
“I just wish the county would pay a little bit of attention to us. We’ve been here, and we’ve been quiet, but we’ve been paying taxes. Now, with the new developments, we have new needs, and they should come check on us,” she added.
ABC Action News reached out to Pasco County for answers. County staff shared this statement:
These issues will be addressed as part of an upcoming widening project of Wesley Chapel Boulevard (from 2 to 6 lanes). The road work is expected to begin in the coming months. Once the widening is completed, all signals along the corridor will be retimed.
Neighbors worry that won’t fix their issues and that things will get worse.
“We really, really need at least one traffic light to get out safely,” said Strowbridge.
They’re hoping for a faster fix in the meantime.
“They can come out and check the timing on these other lights and give us some space to get out of the community a little safer,” said Strowbridge.
“The sooner, the better,” said Green.
County staff encourage people to use their Traffic Request Form to report any problems and stress how helpful it is so they can address issues.
