CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A family is urging Lee County officials to expedite the widening of Burnt Store Road following the death of their loved one in a crash earlier this month.
Fox 4 's Bella Line spoke with the victim's son-in-law about the widening project:
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the more than 5-mile stretch of Burnt Store Road sees between 9,800 and 14,000 vehicles daily. FDOT says that number could more than double by 2045, so they are conducting a study to expand the two-lane stretch to four lanes.
Hear from the Cape Coral community demanding action on Burnt Store Road:
https://www.fox4now.com/cape-coral/miles-of-danger-cape-coral-residents-demand-priority-funding-after-deadly-crash
"It's just been a huge loss for our family, and it's, it's been very hard," said Philip Eyrich.
Eyrich contacted me after his mother-in-law, María Arcila-Jerez, was killed while driving home from their house in Port Charlotte back to Cape Coral.
According to the crash report, she lost control of her vehicle on the wet road and was hit by a semi-truck traveling in the opposite direction.
"The week that it happened, it was either the first or second of three or four accidents that happened along this stretch of road, not necessarily on the two lane but you know, there will be more if the county doesn't act," Eyrich said.
Lee County officials say they currently don't have the funds for this widening project.
I reached out to Commissioner Brian Hamman who says they have asked staff to explore every avenue for funding this project. They have even moved it to a Tier One project.
Eyrich says with all of the growth in Southwest Florida, commuters can't afford to wait any longer.
"You're adding more cars to a road that's already strained, and those developers should be asked and mandated before any paperwork is signed or any permits issued to pay for the improvement of the road that the people who benefit from those amenities will have to use every day," Eyrich said.
The study is expected to wrap up this year. Lee County says when funding is secured, they will begin work. As of now, they do not have an expected completion date.
"She's going to be missed by a whole lot of people and we hope that, you know that, this tragic accident will spur the kind of change this needed so that it doesn't happen to another family," Eyrich said.
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