FDOT programs $100M for long-awaited Lithia Pinecrest project after Christine Miller advocacy

The Florida Department of Transportation has assigned $100 million to Hillsborough County for substantial improvements and safety and efficiency enhancements to Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico.

County officials have for years been fighting for funding for improvements to the road, long considered one of the most congested in the county. It was in large part Commissioner Christine Miller, a champion for the project, who finally got funding across the finish line.

“For too long, East Hillsborough County has sat in traffic. Working with the good folks at FDOT, I am pleased to announce we have finally taken a giant leap forward into fixing Lithia Pinecrest,” Miller said. “On my watch, the can will not be kicked down the road, the road will actually be fixed.”

Lithia Pinecrest is a major thoroughfare in Valrico, connecting those in South Hillsborough County, including around the Fish Hawk area, to the Tampa areas. But the road is just two lanes, and with continued growth in the suburbs and exurbs of the area, capacity has been increasingly strained.

The county estimated in 2023 that between 25,000 and 30,000 people travel the road each day, according to ABC Tampa Bay.

Congestion along the corridor is always an issue, particularly during peak travel hours in the morning and evening on weekdays. But it’s even worse if there’s an accident or even just a disabled vehicle on the side of the road, leading sometimes to commuters sitting in trafic for potentially hours.

FDOT didn’t provide specifics on the project, but said the $100 million in funding would be spread over five years in the Local Agency Program. The agency did provide a statement about its current work plan.

“Investing in transportation infrastructure across Florida’s communities is critical to our mission of supporting the state’s economic competitiveness and quality of life. That includes projects at our ports, along our interstate highways, and across local arterial roadways that reduce congestion, expedite the flow of goods within the supply chain, and that increase safety,” the statement reads.

Specific to Hillsborough County, FDOT said continued population growth means “these investments are critical to ensuring the highway network supports current and future needs across the region.”

FDOT officials say they base funding decisions on conversations with community leaders aimed at maximizing the impact of its investments, including on arterial roadways such as Lithia Pinecrest that are not necessarily state roads.

The agency praised Miller’s collaboration on drawing down funds to “expedite congestion relief projects in western Hillsborough County, including the long-awaited Lithia Pinecrest Project.”

“When complete, the corridor will be safer and more efficient to get families home for dinner,” the agency concluded.