The Pasco County Commission voted last week to lend the Department of Transportation funds to move the State Road 54 / US 41 improvement project up the state's priority list.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said getting this project started is a top priority for the county.

"This intersection is very important to everybody," he said. "Pasco County is going to spend a lot of money fixing the intersection, so when this discussion came up, it was all about how do we make this happen fast?"

It was December 2015 when the state Department of Transportation started public meetings for input into the troubled intersection.

Today, we see ruts in the median where drivers have created their own left turn lanes in order to help clear the mainline lanes for through traffic.

Mariano and other county commissioners hope that by making money available to the state, they can get shovels in the ground faster. The goal is to see work start in the next year.

The public is invited to give input into the project and potential intersection improvements.

Visit the FDOT Project Website for more information.