CAPE CORAL, Fla. — People living off Burnt Store Road are demanding action following another deadly crash on the two-lane evacuation route. Burnt Store Marina community leaders say hurricane season adds urgency to widening the road.
Burnt Store Road, an evacuation route for many people in Cape Coral, is currently being studied for a potential expansion from two lanes to four lanes – a change community leaders and homeowners in the Burnt Store Marina say can't happen soon enough.
Fox 4's Bella Line reports on the expansion project and what homeowners hope to see:
"This is very dependent on the future of our children and grandchildren. I want it safe for me, but down the road, I wish people had thought of this and done it for everybody much, much sooner," said Germaine Hyatt of the Burnt Store Road Coalition.
Earlier this month, a Lee County workshop revealed the county does not currently have the funds for the project, despite the Florida Department of Transportation conducting a more than $2 million study that's expected to conclude this year.
"It is a hurricane evacuation route, Cape Coral should be screaming bloody murder," said Ed Buns of the Burnt Store Marina Homeowners Association.
Buns and Hyatt are leaders in the Burnt Store Marina community who feel their area is being overlooked.
"The bottom line is, we're the end of the county. We're kind of out here on an island," Buns said.
The concern extends beyond just the marina community.
Kevin Black, president of the Northwest Neighborhood Association of Cape Coral, says this tier one project by the county can't wait any longer, especially after a woman died in June when the Florida Highway Patrol says she lost control of her vehicle on this stretch while the road was wet.
RELATED COVERAGE: Crash on Burnt Store Road kills one
The substantial growth in Cape Coral makes addressing the road issues even more urgent, neighbors say.
"Everybody has to use this little stretch of 5.7 miles of danger to get there, and hopefully we can get our elected officials to prioritize it, find the funding, and let's not wait until 2031 let's get it done sooner," Black said.
In January, a project manager with FDOT told Line doing nothing on this road could lead to Burnt Store Road being classified as a failing road.
RELATED COVERAGE: FDOT looks at widening part of Burnt Store Road, as flooding remains a top concern
Lee County officials say they have not identified funding yet, but once they do, they will begin work on the project.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office reports they have conducted 170 area checks since last year and deputies will patrol areas where the public expresses safety concerns.
"We need to make this a priority," Black said.
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