The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has conducted a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to evaluate capacity improvements for SR 60 from west of 50th Street to east of Falkenburg Road in Hillsborough County, Florida.

The project has been divided into four distinct segments, as described below:

• Segment 1 – extends from west of 50th Street to east of the CSX railroad, a distance of approximately 1.53 miles;
• Segment 2 – from east of the CSX railroad to east of 78th Street, a distance of approximately 1.70 miles;
• Segment 3 – from east of 78th Street to east of Philip Lee Boulevard, a distance of approximately 1.47 miles; and
• Segment 4 – from east of Philip Lee Boulevard to East of Falkenburg Road, a distance of approximately 0.77 miles.

The total project length is approximately 5.47 miles. The proposed improvements will include widening the existing four-lane divided facility and evaluating potential grade separations at 50th Street/CSX railroad and US 301.

Study Purpose and Need

The objectives of this PD&E Study were to develop a multi-lane improvement that is economically efficient and environmentally sound. This study documented the results of the environmental and engineering analyses conducted in order to assist the FDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in reaching a decision on the location and conceptual design for the improvements to SR 60. In addition, this study complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable requirements to qualify the proposed project for Federal funding.

This report documented the need for improvements and the procedures used to evaluate the alternatives developed for this study. Using the engineering and environmental data collected for the project, a comparison of the Build Alternatives verses the No-Build Alternative will be detailed in a matrix format that will identify the effects that each alternative has on the community and environment. The design year for the proposed improvements is 2030.

Proposed Improvements

SR 60 is an east/west facility with a functional classification of an urban principle arterial-other. The study corridor traverses an array of urban land uses including industrial and commercial development inter-mixed with parcels of vacant land. There are existing wetlands systems both within and adjacent to the existing right-of-way.

From west of 50th Street to Philip Lee Boulevard, SR 60 is a four-lane divided facility with a depressed 40-foot median, 5-foot inside unpaved shoulders, 10-foot outside shoulders with 5-foot paved and open roadside ditches. The right-of-way width varies from 128 feet to 228 feet. The posted speed limit is 50 miles per hour. From Philip Lee Boulevard to I-75, SR 60 begins as a four-lane divided facility and develops into an eight lane divided section with a depressed 40-foot median, 5-foot inside unpaved shoulders, 10-foot outside shoulders with 5-foot paved and open roadside ditches. There are two eastbound travel lanes from Philip Lee Blvd. to west of Business Entrance where a third lane is added. A fourth eastbound lane is added east of Business Entrance and continues east to the I-75 interchange. The four westbound travel lanes reduce to three lanes at the I-75 southbound on-ramp. The third lane drops as a right-turn lane at Philip Lee Blvd. The right-of-way width for this segment varies from 132 feet to 300 feet. The posted speed limit is 50 miles per hour.

There are six signalized intersections within the study limits. They are:

• 50th Street;
• N. Orient Road;
• 78th Street;
• US 301;
• Business Entrance; and
• Falkenburg Road.