Lithia Pinecrest Road's Plan Is Still a Draft, and It Has Already Changed Once

Carole Brennan described the evening rush at Lithia Pinecrest Road and Valrico Road to Bay News 9 in May as "bumper to bumper, stop and go." She said southbound cars fill the intersection, so drivers trying to turn left off Valrico Road can't get through. Her suggestion was simple: "This needs a big sign with big letters to alleviate that problem."

County officials told the station that a don't-block-the-box sign "can be considered as planning for the improvement project continues." They also said there is no start date for construction. Behind that answer is a study that was supposed to finish last year and is still open. Because it is still open, the shape of the road from FishHawk Boulevard up to Lumsden can still change, intersection by intersection. Residents have already changed it once.

Three snapshots of the same road

Hillsborough County's project, CIP #69649000, is a Project Development and Environment study. It covers Lithia Pinecrest Road from FishHawk Boulevard to Lumsden Road, plus Bloomingdale Avenue from Culbreath Road to Pearson Road. It looks at traffic flow, safety, and conditions for people walking, biking and driving. Bay News 9 summed up the main idea as widening Lithia Pinecrest from two lanes to four, with better walking and biking facilities.

The project's price and timeline haven't held still. Here is how each public version has described it:

The study's end date has moved back by more than a year. In the meantime, the estimate went up by nearly $100 million and then came back down by close to $50 million. The newest figure is the county's, and the older ones are history. Even so, the swings show these numbers are working estimates. The county's own page says its cost and schedule figures "are subject to frequent change."

The breakdown matters more than the total. The current fact sheet sets aside $6 million for planning, $113 million for design and land, and $142,984,000 for construction. For design and land, it lists impact fees, mobility fees, Community Investment Tax money, and a category labeled "Unfunded." The design and land completion date is listed as N/A. Procurement and construction are listed as TBD. So the open question is who pays for the right-of-way, not just when work starts. In June 2025, Osprey Observer reported that only $3.5 million had been secured, for planning.

The intersections still being decided

The schedule is the fuzziest part of the plan. The intersection designs are the most specific part, and they're the part residents have already shaped.

In the 2024 online survey, the county showed paired options at seven intersections and asked people to choose:

• FishHawk Boulevard: signal or roundabout
• Lithia Springs Road: full median opening or roundabout
• New River Hills Parkway / River Drive: signal or roundabout
• Adelaide Avenue / Lithia Ridge Boulevard: signal or roundabout
• Guiles Road / Chelsea Woods Drive: directional median openings or roundabout
• Lorea Lane / Chickasaw Trail: directional median openings or roundabout
• Bloomingdale Avenue / Pearson Road: signal or roundabout

The comments posted on the county's 2024 survey page went both ways. Some called roundabouts the better way to keep traffic moving. Others said Lithia Pinecrest carries far more cars than its side streets, so a roundabout wouldn't work well there.

A year later, the plan looked different. The county's 2025 engagement page set the open house for 5:30 p.m. on May 13, 2025, in the Bloomingdale High School cafeteria at 1700 E. Bloomingdale Ave. The map shown there covered 17 intersections. According to Osprey Observer's report, roundabouts were proposed at FishHawk Boulevard, Lithia Springs Road, New River Hills Parkway and Guiles Road. Project manager Steffanie Workman told the paper that "revisions made to the original plans were based on feedback from the community."

The feedback kept coming after that. Osprey Observer reported that Chelsea Woods residents questioned the roundabout planned at their entrance, worried it would limit access and change the feel of the neighborhood. An Osprey Heights resident told the paper she'd like to bike to nearby stores but didn't feel safe without a proper path. The 2025 proposals also included narrower lanes, landscaped medians, continuous sidewalks, buffered bike lanes and shared-use paths.

Nothing published since then names a final design for any of these intersections. The study is still in planning, so these designs are still proposals.

Pearson Road was supposed to go first

One piece of the plan had a shorter timeline than the rest. In June 2025, Osprey Observer reported that the first construction would turn the four-way stop at Bloomingdale Avenue and Pearson Road into a traffic signal. Design money was already in that year's budget, with land purchases and construction to follow. The 2024 survey had offered a roundabout there as well. By 2025 the reported plan was a signal.

The county's current corridor page doesn't list a separate schedule for that intersection. The corridor as a whole still shows construction "TBD." If you drive Bloomingdale Avenue east toward Pearson, the four-way stop is what's there today. No published date says when that will change.

Osprey's report split the rest of the corridor into three phases. Phase one runs from south of New River Hills Parkway to north of South Miller Road. Phase two runs from north of South Miller Road to north of Brooker Road. Phase three has three parts: the FishHawk Boulevard intersection, the stretch from north of FishHawk Boulevard to south of New River Hills Parkway, and the stretch from north of Brooker Road to south of East Lumsden Road. That order dates from 2025. The phase lines are the most useful guide for now, since they show where the first work would likely go once money arrives. But the study's final report could still change them.

The dates that do exist

Three dates on the calendar are firm enough to track:

1. December 1, 2026. The renewed Community Investment Tax takes effect, according to the county's CIT page. The corridor fact sheet lists CIT IV as one possible source for design and land. That makes the tax start date the first realistic point for corridor money to begin moving. The adopted FY27 budget documents will show whether any of it is set aside for Lithia Pinecrest. Those documents were listed as "to be posted" on the county's FY27 budget page.
2. Early 2027. This is when the county expects planning to wrap up. The study's recommendations are what decide where the roundabouts and signals go.
3. Summer 2028. This is when FDOT expects to start a separate SR 60 resurfacing project, from east of Lithia Pinecrest to west of Valrico Road. It includes pavement, intersection, ADA and pedestrian-crossing work. It's a state project with its own timeline. It's also the next confirmed construction near the north end of the corridor.

The businesses along these roads are opening on their own schedules. Jeff's Bagel Run held its grand opening on October 2 at 875 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Bloomingdale Square, between Bealls and EOS Fitness. Owners Rob and Teresa Shuffield already run Nothing Bundt Cakes bakeries in Winthrop and Brandon. SoFresh plans to open at 3482 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. Franchisee Mario Canal told WhatNow in August that it was slated for "December or January." Both spots sit inside the study area, on a road whose final layout hasn't been chosen.

The county's comment form for project #69649000 is still on its project page, and the listed phone number for questions is (813) 635-5400. In 2025, Assistant County Administrator Kim Byer asked, "who better to get input from than those that are impacted by this project?" Until early 2027, residents can still weigh in on which design goes at the end of their street.

If you live off Lithia Pinecrest or Bloomingdale Avenue, road plans like this one come up when you price a home. Buyers ask what's planned out front, and the answer depends on which of these proposals moves forward. Carter Company Realtors tracks the corridor block by block across Valrico and Bloomingdale. If you want to know what your home is worth on your street today, Carter Company Realtors can start with a free home valuation.