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Drivers face long delays during season

Drivers face long delays during season
Posted at 10:57 PM, Jan 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 22:57:57-05

Drivers frustrated with all the traffic on roads this time of year.

"Traffic is really horrible," said Eric Hocter, as he fueled up at a Fort Myers gas station. "It really sucks," he added.

Lee County Department of Transportation says it sees 10 to 15 percent more drivers on the road during season.

"We see a considerable up tick in the amount of vehicles and traffic that we see on the roads," said Zachary Burch, a Florida Department of Transportation spokesman.

FDOT has plans to try and improve some intersections like Colonial Boulevard.

"We have plans coming up in the near future to totally reconstruct that interchange," said Burch. "As well as the intersections at Six Mile Cypress and the Forum," he added.

Those plans are down the road. However, FDOT and Lee DOT do have ways to try and alleviate congestion.

"You can only make a road so wide," said Burch. "We try to utilize technology as much as we can so we can make the best use out of the existing roads as we can," he added.

The technology sends information to traffic apps so drivers know which areas to avoid. 

Burch recommends building in extra time into your commute to offset season traffic.

"We're working and doing what we can to make the improvements necessary to accommodate our residents and visitors," said Burch. "The more people that come in, the more improvements we have to make," he added.