Drivers on US 41 in Land O' Lakes should plan around lane closures at Lake Patience Road every day this week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, while state crews start work on a new traffic signal at the intersection. The Florida Department of Transportation posted the closure window for July 27 through July 31, which puts the delays squarely in the middle of the morning and evening commute for the neighborhoods that use Lake Patience Road to reach Land O' Lakes Boulevard.
The closures are the front end of a $1.4 million safety project FDOT began on July 14. Local news reports said the department announced on July 21 that construction had started, work residents around the intersection have been asking about for years.
What the money buys
The signal is the headline, but it is not the whole job. FDOT's project page lists roadway resurfacing at the intersection along with new sidewalk, pedestrian and lighting improvements. The contractor is Cone & Graham, Inc., working under a design-build contract, which means the same team handles the design and the construction so the two can overlap.
| Project detail | |
|---|---|
| Cost | $1.4 million |
| Started | July 14, 2026 |
| Est. completion | Summer 2027 |
| Contractor | Cone & Graham, Inc. |
Summer 2027 is the estimate for the full project. FDOT has not said when the signal itself will be switched on and start cycling.
Why this intersection
Lake Patience Road meets US 41 as a T, and traffic coming out of it has to find a gap in a four-lane highway where cars move fast. According to local news reports, FDOT already limited vehicles exiting Lake Patience Road to right turns only, an interim fix aimed at cutting down on crashes and backups at the intersection.
A signal changes the math for everyone on that side of US 41. It also creates a protected place to cross on foot, which is what the sidewalk and lighting portion of the contract is for. Nighttime visibility along that stretch of highway has been a long-running complaint.
The clock before school starts
The timing matters for families. Pasco County Schools begins the 2026-27 year on Thursday, Aug. 13, with Meet the Teacher on Aug. 7 for secondary students and Aug. 10 for elementary. That means roughly two weeks of summer-level traffic on US 41 before buses, car lines and student drivers return to the same corridor where crews will still be working.
Anyone who can shift a trip outside the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. window this week will have an easier time of it. Drivers heading north or south through Land O' Lakes with no business at Lake Patience Road may want to use a parallel route, and anyone turning at the intersection should expect the pattern to change as work progresses.
How to keep up with closures
FDOT posts closures for this project as they are scheduled, and residents can sign up for email alerts tied specifically to it on the department's US 41 at Lake Patience Road project page. For questions about the work itself, FDOT lists project contact Maddie Griffin at 727-575-8334.
This week's closures run through Friday. FDOT has not announced the next round, or whether weekend or overnight work will be needed as crews move from setup into the signal foundations and pole installation.
For more local road and construction updates, keep an eye on Pasco County Community Website and follow us on Facebook. Know something about this intersection we should be reporting? Join the conversation in our Community Forum. You can also read more traffic and alert stories or catch up on county and state decisions shaping local roads.
Header photo: Photo: Jacob Evans (Pexels)
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