Ridge Road Extension to Land O’ Lakes Delayed Until Summer 2027
Pasco County’s second phase of the Ridge Road extension is now expected to open in summer 2027, delaying a planned east-west connection for Land O’ Lakes commuters, residents and businesses.
The schedule change, reported June 15, 2026, is tied to required clearance work for bridge construction over the CSX Railroad. The revised target is identified only as summer 2027; no more precise completion date has been provided.
What the project will connect
Ridge Road Extension Phase II is an approximately $85 million project covering about 3.75 miles. It is planned to run from North Sunlake Boulevard east to Land O’ Lakes Boulevard/U.S. 41.
The delay postpones that connection and prolongs existing congestion and access constraints in the Land O’ Lakes growth area. The available reporting does not provide traffic modeling or quantify how the delay will affect traffic volumes, so the practical effect is best described as a postponed route and continued reliance on existing roads.
The project is part of a larger Ridge Road development. Phase I opened in 2021, connecting Moon Lake Road to the Suncoast Parkway. That $104 million phase also added a Suncoast Parkway exit serving Angeline Academy of Innovation, the Moffitt Speros campus, an apartment complex and an entrance to Angeline.
Why the connection matters locally
The eastern endpoint at Land O’ Lakes Boulevard/U.S. 41 places the second phase directly within the community’s expanding transportation network. The route is intended to provide another east-west connection for people traveling through the area and for nearby development.
Angeline is eventually planned for about 35,000 residents, according to the approved project information. That figure is a future planning projection, not a count of the community’s current population.
Separately, the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s fiscal 2025-2029 Transportation Improvement Program includes the School Road project from Community Center Road to U.S. 41/Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The program provides transportation-planning context for infrastructure serving Land O’ Lakes but does not change the Ridge Road Phase II summer 2027 target.
What happens next
Construction will proceed under the revised schedule while the required CSX Railroad bridge-clearance work is addressed. The currently reported next milestone is the summer 2027 opening target. The available report did not identify a newer county construction bulletin that supersedes the June 15 schedule update.
Sources
- Ridge Road extension delayed till mid-2027, Tampa Bay Beacons
- Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization FY 2025-2029 Transportation Improvement Program, Pasco County MPO
Look for updates to this story
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