Featured Events

Lee County Department of Transportation (LC DOT)

Alico (LC DOT) Rd widening – Airport Haul Road to State Route 82 – Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) District 2

Lee County is designing the extension of Alico Road to prepare for county population growth. This new roadway will connect with the existing Alico Road at the Green Meadow Road intersection and travel east and north to connect with SR 82 at the Sunshine Boulevard intersection.

On February 21, 2023, under BOCC Administrative Agenda Item 2, the Board selected the south alignment option presented in the widening analysis for the Alico Road Connector Phase I Widening Alico Road Extension from Green Meadow Road to State Road 82/Sunshine Boulevard.”

Construction of Phase 1 is scheduled to begin in Spring 2025.

Three Oaks (LC DOT) Parkway Extension – Alico Road to Daniels Parkway – BOCC District 2

Wright Construction Group, Inc. was awarded a contract for $26,843,745.56. This project includes constructing a four (4) lane arterial roadway extension from the north end of Three Oaks Parkway northward approximately 2.5 miles. The project includes a new bridge crossing, drainage improvements, two (2) on-road bike lanes, an 8’ concrete, 6’ concrete sidewalk, street lighting, and utility relocations and improvements.”

Phase II is expected to be completed in Spring 2026.

Lee County (LC DOT) Road 951 (North-South connector east of Corkscrew Road) – BOCC District 3; Village of Estero Districts 5 & 7

Don Scott, Lee County MPO Executive Director, indicated, “… the 951 (North-South connector east of Corkscrew Road) feasibility study report will be ready in late winter or early spring 2025.” It has been suggested this might be a candidate for a toll road. It could be a State/Federal partnership to achieve!

Communities along East Corkscrew (in Estero) are not interested in this roadway! Many believe it should be located far east in Collier County, where Immokalee Road would connect somewhere around the State Route 82 and Corkscrew Rd intersection.

Village of Estero

Corkscrew (LC DOT) Road (Woodlands to Ben Hill Griffin) Village Districts 4 & 5

Public Works Director David Willems updated the proposed landscape plan for the median along Corkscrew Road from Corkscrew Woodlands Blvd. to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway.

Johnson Engineering has finalized the design and is working with the Florida Department of Transportation and Lee County Department of Transportation to get approval for the landscaping and irrigation installation.

The existing trees that are flourishing will be kept, supplementing those to be planted. Ground cover, flowering bushes, and small flowering trees will be added. Installation is expected to start sometime this summer (2025).

Corkscrew (LC DOT) Road Village streetlights, landscaping, and multi-use path from Ben Hill Griffin to Bella Terra Blvd – Village District 5 & 7

The project involves constructing a 10-foot-wide asphalt pathway on the north side of Corkscrew Road from Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Palermo Lake Court (eastern entrance of Grandezza), and 6-foot-wide concrete sidewalk from east of Palermo Lake Court that connects to the sidewalk that runs to Midnight Blue Court (Wild Blue Vista) built by Lee County’s previous widening project.The 10-foot-wide asphalt pathway will also be constructed on the south side of Corkscrew Road from Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Bella Terra Boulevard. Roadway and pathway lighting similar to that on Estero Parkway will be installed to complement the new facilities, along with a substantial amount of landscaping and irrigation, which will add to the beautification of the Corkscrew Road corridor.Please note that once the sidewalk and multi-use path are completed, the communities of Grandezza, Wildcat Run, Rivercreek, Wild Blue, and The Preserve at Corkscrew will be within a 2-mile distance (as a student would walk) to Pinewoods Elementary School. This will then be considered safe to walk to school, and Lee District school buses will transport elementary school students to this school from the above communities.

Williams (Village of Estero) Road Widening – Village Districts 4 & 6

Williams Road is currently a two-lane road. The development of the North Point property, located north of Williams Road between US 41 and Via Coconut Point, is expected to widen Williams Road from two lanes to four lanes from US 41 to Via Coconut Point.

Kisinger Campo & Associates received the contract for the preliminary engineering and design of the Williams Road widening project. Currently, there is no estimated start date for construction. On Wednesday, October 16th, 2024, the Village Council designated this project as a second-tier priority for the 2025 fiscal year. The start date for construction is to be determined!

Sandy Lane (Village of Estero)  Bike-Ped Improvements – Village Districts 3 & 4

The plan calls for a crosswalk at Corkscrew Road: The details are:

• A 12-foot off-road concrete bike/ped path in those areas where possible.
• But reduced to an 8-foot path where necessary.
• A pedestrian bridge over the Estero River.
• Lighting; grasses and water-tolerant plants in the swales.
• A variety of trees and shrubs along the pathway.

The Village’s consultant is nearing completion of the project’s design and is working to secure the necessary permits for construction. This process is currently paused as the Village staff works to acquire easements. Unfortunately, some homeowners have declined the proposed plan that requires easements on their property.

US41/ Williams Road / Atlantic Gulf (Village of Estero) Intersection Improvements (Williams Rd West Roundabout) – Village Districts 2, 4, & 6

Plans are in place to build roadway intersection improvements on Williams Road west of US-41 to stop illegal left turns from the Walgreens parking lot and improve left-turn vehicle stacking at US-41. Possible improvements include extending the eastbound left turn at US-41, adding a traffic separator to prevent left turns from Walgreens and Atlantic Gulf Drive, and creating a roundabout at the Life Care Center.On Wednesday, October 16th, 2024, the Village Council identified this project as a first-tier priority for the 2025 fiscal year.

River Ranch (Village of Estero) Road – Roadway Improvements – Village District 4

Resurfacing and widening to add 1-foot shoulders, sidewalks & crosswalks, and drainage are planned. These improvements along River Ranch Road (resurfacing, drainage, and bicycle/pedestrian improvements) will also involve the Williams Road Intersection roundabout and Estero High School turn lane improvements. These improvements are in the Village’s out-of-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Coconut (Village of Estero) Road West [of US 41] 3 Roundabouts – Village District 1

The Coconut Road Traffic Study recommends installing three roundabouts at Coconut Shores, Meadowbrook, and El Dorado along West Coconut Road. The study indicates these intersections will reach capacity in 2028.As traffic increases with future development, the road without improvements will make eastbound left turns the central difficulty at these intersections, along West Coconut Road. Entrance points at Coconut Shores, Meadowbrook, and El Dorado are expected to fail unless action is taken soon.

Although roundabouts were suggested to improve traffic flow for vehicles and pedestrians, no decision has been made yet. This represents government bureaucracy at its worst. The Village of Estero owns most of Coconut Road west of US41, with a small section owned by Lee County. Before the Village of Estero was established in 2014, the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa agreed to be incorporated into Bonita Springs. When the London Bay Group bought the former Weeks Fish Camp, the area had already become part of Bonita Springs.

The development impact fees, now associated with The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay, have been collected by Bonita Springs rather than the Village of Estero. The City of Bonita Springs, the Village of Estero, and LDOT have not agreed on sharing the costs for building the three roundabouts, resulting in a stalemate. The CIP has identified the three Coconut Road roundabouts, but their implementation seems unlikely anytime soon!

Access to Estero (Lee County) Community Park from Via Coconut (Village of Estero) Road – Village District 4

Unfortunately, the Lee County Parks and Recreation Department appears to be uninterested in creating the main entrance off Via Coconut Road. There is a safety concern as cars turning left (westbound) onto Corkscrew Rd from the community park, Estero Historical Society, and office park risk their lives to get onto Corkscrew Rd. There is no plan for a traffic signal at Corkscrew (LC DOT) Road to ensure safe westbound turns.

Access to Estero River Park from US41 (using County Road and Highlands Avenue [Village of Estero]) – Village District 4

The infrastructure contract awarded identifies access to the Estero River Park from US41 on County Road. Where County Road and Highlands Avenue converge, there will be gated access to the Estero River Park. Construction started this summer on the Estero River Park, including road access.

Via Coconut Point (Village of Estero and City of Bonita Springs) connector to Old US 41 – Village District 1; Bonita Springs District 1

Although the Village of Estero has identified this project in its “out-year” CIP, the City of Bonita Springs is not interested in the project.

Septic to Sewer conversion (Village of Estero) Road work – Village Districts 1, 2, & 4

As different phases of the Utilities Expansion Program (UEP) are carried out, roads will be affected during construction and may need repairs and improvements. Construction has begun on three projects this summer.