FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla — The final step of construction on Estero Boulevard starts next month, shortly before season hits. Drivers say while they’re excited to see Ian-damaged roads finally being fixed, traffic is a concern.
Watch to hear what the project will bring to Estero Blvd, and what neighbors had to say about it:
Work is already happening along Estero Boulevard, but now comes the final touches. Lee County approved an $8.4 million contract to replace more damaged sidewalks and curbs, plus add new flashers for pedestrians. All of this was damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Lee County says work can only happen during the day because of turtle nesting season and how close crews are to neighborhoods. Neighbors expect that to make their drive a lot slower.
“It’ll be interesting in another month, when season really kicks off, just how bad it is,” said Donna Melito.
“Traffic is bad in season anyways. So to add that to it — not working at night and only doing it in the day — is really going to have an effect on the traffic on the island,” said Kimberly Gaynett.
Kimberly and Robert Gaynett have called the island home for 40 years and say they’ve learned to adapt when construction slows things down, often trading their cars for bikes.
The county says crews will shift traffic lanes and use flaggers to keep cars moving, but backups will still happen. They say the work is expected to start in November.
“We’ll be okay. We’ll rebuild. It’s just gonna take time,” said Gaynett.
