Officials will hold an open house to present plans for a long-awaited northern extension to the Suncoast Parkway.

The meeting is at 5 p.m. Thursday at Curtis Peterson Auditorium in Lecanto High School. Residents will have a chance to comment on the design, which can be reviewed on suncoast2online.com, and hundreds could attend, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise said.

The state has $149 million budgeted for right-of-way acquisition and permitting to extend the parkway from U.S. 98 in northern Hernando County to State Road 44 in Lecanto, about a mile west of County Road 491.

The Suncoast 2 project, originally planned to reach U.S. 19, was shelved in 2009 because of the poor economy. But with economy recovering, the state has freed up some money. Construction north of State Road 44 is not part of this project.

The past two years saw the state free up $25 million for voluntary right-of-way purchases.

Then earlier this year, Gov. Rick Scott announced the budget would include $149 million to complete right of way for the section to S.R. 44. While not discussing the segment north of S.R. 44, Scott said he envisioned the parkway becoming part of a Tampa-to-Jacksonville corridor to relieve traffic off Interstate 75.