NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Neighbors in North Fort Myers say construction on Old-41has been dragging on, and it’s made the road dangerous.
Fox 4’s North Fort Myers Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in the area every day, so people there know him and his stories. That’s why a neighbor reached out to him, worried about safety with this project, so he looked into why there’s been no recent movement.
Watch to hear neighbors concerns and what the county says caused the delay:
It’s a sea of cones and construction stretching more than a mile on Old-41, from the Edison Bridge up to Bayshore Road. It’s an FDOT project meant to make the road safer with a raised median, new crossings, and fresh asphalt.
But Michael Adkins lives right off it, and said lately it’s making things worse.
“We have seen near accidents,” Adkins said.
Adkins said he hasn’t seen any work out there in about a month, and says the road patches left from the project are launching cars when drivers hit them too fast. When people swerve to avoid them, neighbors like Iggy Laudando said that creates another problem.
“People almost sideswiping each other. Somethings gotta get done here it’s unacceptable,” Laudando said.
In drone video, you could see cars shifting toward the middle lane to avoid the patches. Adkins also said he sees drivers cutting through neighborhoods to avoid the road.
“Even if you have the whole road to work with it still gets crazy. And now we’re down to one less lane both directions,” Adkins said.
Schargorodski reached out to FDOT to ask about their concerns, but his questions went unanswered.
However, Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, who serves this area, tells him the delays are because FDOT crews found an unknown utility line under the road with no clear owner. He says FDOT is working to figure that out while keeping other parts of the project moving, including night shifts, and he’s pushing them for a quick resolution.
So, Schargorodski took that info back to Adkins.
“We’ll accept that, and look forward to them getting back to work and getting it finished,” said Adkins.
FDOT has said the project is expected to be done later this year.
