State wants defective signs to communicate emergencies

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation will funnel more money into a multimillion dollar project that has failed to work in the past.

Signs posted near bridges throughout Lee County are supposed to alert drivers when the bridges are closed and point drivers to alternate routes. But the state traffic control center cannot communicate with the signs to post emergency information in real time. Instead, the signs regularly show seat belt reminders.

Just Friday, authorities shut down the southbound lanes on the Edison Bridge to handle a situation involving a person who threatened to jump. This was the kind of emergency the signs should warn drivers about, but the signs near Edison Bridge do not work.

Now the state is allowing Lee County to hire a contractor to make the system work. The new project will cost $246,000 and should be completed by the end of 2016, according to the transportation department.

“The next time we have an emergency on the bridge, after this is fully operational, our operators and Lee County operators will be able to touch a button, and instantly drivers all over will know ‘Avoid the bridge.’ And they’ll have alternates and how to get there,” said Zachary Burch of FDOT.

The installation of signs in Cape Coral has been postponed due to the issues experienced in Fort Myers.

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