- March 6, 2025
As the city prepares to get its roads ready for the Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange on Interstate 95, officials heard a presentation Tuesday to move forward with buying four parcels of land in the surrounding areas to extend two key roads: Palm Harbor Parkway and Old Kings Road.
In total, the city will purchase about 292 acres for both extensions, which will cost about $7.3 million for land acquisition and construction. The Florida Department of Transportation will fund about $4.2 million of the project, and the city will fund the remaining $3.1 million.
The Palm Harbor extension will eventually make Forest Grove Drive exclusively a residential road.
Currently, both Palm Harbor and Old Kings Road run into Forest Grove on 90-degree turns. However, under the extension, Palm Harbor will bend around and connect through The Conservatory before dumping back out onto Old Kings Road, near the current intersection of Matanzas Woods Parkway and Old Kings.
Cars on Forest Grove Drive, heading east, will not be able to get onto Palm Harbor directly. The road will dead-end or become a cul-de-sac, according to Carl Cote, construction manager for the city.
Instead, drivers will have to head north on Old Kings Road before connecting to the extension, north of Matanzas High School. Or, drivers could loop back to Palm Harbor through residential roads near the fire station.
Officials say the extension will reduce traffic in front of the high school.
The land that is currently used for the road near the 90-degree turn at Palm Harbor and Forest Grove will turn into a stormwater pond.
With the Old Kings Road extension, the road will continue north behind Matanzas High School and eventually cross over Matanzas Woods Parkway before it connects with the current Old Kings Road, north of the high school.
City officials have repeatedly said they want the extensions finished before the I-95 interchange project is completed, stating the new interchange will increase the traffic on the localized roads in the area. The interchange is approved through the Florida Department of Transportation for construction within the next two years.
