(Written by Mark Novitski, Consultant to Engage Estero)
Corkscrew Road Widening – Jump to:
Ben Hill Griffin to the East side of Bella Terra
East side of Bella Terra to Alico Road
Three Oaks Pkwy to I-75
Alico Rd to East of The Place (Development)
US 41 to Three Oaks Pkwy
East of Firehouse Lane to Alico Rd
East of The Place (Development) to Kingston Ranch Rd
The project widens Corkscrew Road to six lanes from Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Fire House Lane and four lanes from Fire House Lane to the east boundary of Bella Terra.
The project includes adding on-road bike lanes and some sidewalks, installing new drainage, and constructing a wildlife crossing approximately 1000 feet west of the entrance to Cypress Shadows Boulevard. This crossing will coincide with a regional flowway that crosses Corkscrew Road at that location. Completion is now scheduled for April 2024. The contractor is completing installing the fence on the north side (Wildblue) to direct wildlife to the wildlife crossing.
The first lift of paving for the westbound section from the entrance to The Preserve at Corkscrew to the entrance of Rivercreek/Wildblue was completed in February 2024.
The BOCC approved contract amendment (#6) at the Commission meeting on February 20, 2024, to increase the construction cost and add 30 days for completion, moving the completion date to the end of April 2024 (36 months).
With the crossover to traffic in the appropriate eastbound/westbound lanes (to allow construction of the two medians – Rivercreek & Wild Blue, Wildcat Run) accomplished overnight on March 3 & 4, 2024, the contractor is working on curbing, grading, and sod. This was (mostly) completed by March 25, 2024. Some sod work remains.
The blacktop’s final lift was completed overnight on March 25/26, 2024, with two crews to complete the paving more quickly. All westbound lanes were open for traffic. The orange barrels were removed, and all lanes were open for eastbound traffic from Ben Hill Griffin to The Preserve at Corkscrew. The barrels remain to force traffic to one lane eastbound from the Preserve at Corkscrew.
The contractor is working through the final project punch list. Crews are installing signage, sod, and fencing throughout the project. Crews continue stripping the roadway at several locations along Corkscrew Road and completing concrete work, including curb and sidewalk.
Thursday, May 9, 2024 – Corkscrew Road is now in its final configuration from Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Bella Terra Boulevard. Motorists should expect isolated flagging operations with periodic lane closures as the contractor works through the final project punch list.
On Thursday, May 9, and Friday, May 10, motorists should expect a slow-moving operation for crews to stripe the roadway. On Friday, May 10, during daytime hours, motorists should expect crews working in the westbound travel lane at the wildlife crossing/bridge to repair asphalt.
Rivercreek development, Wildblue commercial, and the Wildblue development will eventually fund a traffic signal at Estero Crossing Blvd and Wild Blue Blvd. There is no projected date for the installation and completion of this light.
The engineer, Trebilcock Consulting Solutions, is working on plan revisions resulting from the 60% design review comments from LDOT. There has been a minor delay with the underground utility location process. The initial sub-surface investigation for the four proposed locations for the mast arm supports/poles identified numerous conflicts with existing underground facilities. The SUE (Sub-surface Utility Exploration) sub-consultant is in the process of performing additional underground investigations. As soon as this is complete, the plans will be updated and submitted to LDOT and Development Services for the LDO and Right-of-Way permits. At the same time, they will work with LDOT and obtain bids for the traffic signal from qualified contractors so that realistic costs can be determined.
Once the contractor completes the project, the Village of Estero will install shared-use paths, lighting, and landscaping. The Village of Estero efforts are projected to take 6 -9 months once a contractor has been selected. There may be long lead time items (e.g., street light poles) that may push the project to the right. The Village approved an agreement with GL Homes (Rivercreek) on the Right of Way acquisition for the multiuse path along Corkscrew Rd at their February 21, 2024, Village Council meeting.
LDOT is installing traffic monitoring devices along the route. Traffic cameras are installed at all traffic signals. Microwave Vehicle Detection Systems are described in the FDOT Standard Specification for Road and Bridge Construction, section 660-2.1.2.3 (see note 1). LDOT can monitor and adjust traffic signals from their traffic control center.
Representatives of the Village of Estero, Engage Estero, and the East Corkscrew Alliance met with the Lee County Sheriff’s representative on Monday, March 11, 2024, to discuss safety concerns on Corkscrew Road. An option for more safety oversight on Corkscrew Road and throughout the greater Estero area is growing the number of Civilian Support volunteers. https://www.sheriffleefl.org/civilian-support-unit/
Speeding is already an issue. Vehicles are traveling 55 mph+! In an interesting move from LCSO, Patrols stopped and cited speeders on the morning of April 1, 2024. There was an accident on Saturday, April 13, 2024, as a vehicle exiting Bella Terra Blvd with a green left turn arrow was struck by a vehicle proceeding eastbound on Corkscrew Rd and ran the red light.
The traffic signal at Bella Terra Blvd/Midnight Blue Blvd and Corkscrew Rd has been updated. The left turn arrow starts green, goes to red, then to flashing yellow. This is something we will have to get used to.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office has been out patrolling Corkscrew Rd on an irregular basis.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, to approve a contract for constructing Corkscrew Road Widening Phase II from the east side of Bella Terra to Alico Road. The $26.6 million contract is with Bergeron Land Development. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2024 and is expected to be completed in 24 months. The project includes funding from Lee County Utilities.
The construction process has started. Surveyors planted stakes, brush & landscaping are being cleared, fences are being moved, utility pipes are being identified, and larger utility pipes are being delivered to the site.
An agenda item on April 2, 2024, BOCC meeting identifies: Approve Subordination of Utility Interests for Corkscrew Road Phase II Widening:
The project encompasses:
Grants Lee County the necessary subordinated property rights from Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to construct that portion of Corkscrew Road encumbered by existing FPL easement interests and provides for reimbursement to FPL for its utility relocation costs, estimated at $81,051. Recording fees are estimated to be $125. Construction commenced in the first quarter of 2024.
We found out from Pam Keyes, Director of Lee County Utilities:
“Typically, we do not install hydrants to large-diameter transmission lines located adjacent to arterial or major collector roads. There are instances where we install hydrants at major intersections in anticipation of future connections. All commercial and residential developments along the widening of Corkscrew Road have required hydrants spaced for the particular development type: 800’ for single-family, 400’ for commercial/multi-family, and 300” for industrial. For more information regarding these and other LCU standards, please refer to our webpage at https://www.leegov.com/utilities/design-manual. If you have additional questions, please get in touch with our New Development staff listed at https://www.leegov.com/utilities/new-development or the main phone number 239-533-8160.”
LDOT Engineer David Murphy stated, “FYI, we have two hydrants in phase 2 by Alico Road.”
Estero Fire Rescue is reviewing our concerns about the locations of fire hydrants as Corkscrew Rd has widened.
The contractor continues earthwork to construct the pond east of Corkscrew Shores during daytime hours. This pond will take stormwater runoff from the road.
This project is documented in the 2045 Lee MPO Transportation Plan as LC15, with Project Engineering costing $1.190M and Right of Way (ROW) acquisition costing $3.020M from 2031 to 2035. The construction cost of $8.350M is identified in the 2036 to 2045. The total projected cost is $12.56M.
The project will widen Corkscrew Rd from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.
This project is documented in the 2045 Lee MPO Transportation Plan as LC30, with Project Engineering costing $9.800M and Right of Way (ROW) acquisition costing $10.700M from 2026 to 2030. The construction cost of $62.500M) is identified in the 2031 to 2035 time. The total projected cost is $83.000M.
The project will widen Corkscrew Rd from 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
Developers along this stretch have or are planning for LDOT to acquire Right of Way.
The wildlife crossings in this section will be reconstructed.
This project is documented in the 2045 Lee MPO Transportation Plan as LC31, with Project Engineering costing $4.267M and Right of Way (ROW) acquisition costing $1.060M from 2036 to 2045. The construction cost of $28.490M is identified in the 2036 to 2045. The total projected cost is $33.817M.
The project will widen Corkscrew Rd from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.
The wildlife crossings in this section will be reconstructed.
This project is documented in the 2045 Lee MPO Transportation Plan as LC37, with Project Engineering costing $8.880M from 2031 to 2035. The construction cost of $78.330M is identified in the 2036 to 2045. The total projected cost is $87.21M.
The project will widen Corkscrew Rd from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.
There is no requirement for Right of Way (ROW) acquisition as this was procured in previous years.
This project is documented in the 2045 Lee MPO Transportation Plan as LC36, with Project Engineering costing $4.620M from 2026 to 2030. The Right of Way (ROW) acquisition costing $7.290M and the construction cost of $36.220M) is listed in the 2031 to 2035 time. The total projected cost is $48.130M.
The project will widen Corkscrew Rd from 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
Developers along this stretch have or are planning for LDOT to acquire Right of Way.
It is unknown whether there will be any wildlife crossings in this section.
The Regional Transportation Management Centers use the Microwave Vehicle Detection System to detect traffic on various freeways and city streets. The MVDS is used to observe all types of vehicular traffic, such as cars, trucks, and buses. The Microwave Vehicle Detection System is also used for automatic incident detection. Additionally, the MVDS can send alerts when traffic slows below a set “miles per hour” threshold for a specific duration of time.
The alert notifies the RTMC operator to look at the closed-circuit television camera feed showing the location near the MVDS unit so the operator can view the roadway and see why traffic has slowed. Cameras are used for incident verification after the RTMC operators have received notification from the MVDS unit that traffic has slowed or stopped. The Microwave Vehicle Detection System is used primarily to observe current traffic conditions. Unlike CCTV traffic footage data, MVDS traffic data is saved and archived. All MVDS units are being monitored at the same time.
MVDS units are used at traffic signal locations to aid signal operations and ramp metering. MVDS units used on ramps can detect wrong-way traffic or aid in vehicle detection. The MVDS data feed can provide real-time traffic status, and the archived traffic data can be used for trend analysis, crash reports, and average daily traffic volumes.
