Lee County commissioners pass Kismet Parkway project

An $8.5 million construction project to realign Littleton Road and Kismet Parkway was passed Tuesday.

The vote took place at a Lee County Commissioners meeting, and the project will be between the county and Cape Coral.

The Kismet Parkway project will also involve changing an intersection — at Northeast 24th Avenue and Kismet Parkway— county leaders call confusing for drivers by making a four-way stop and have Kismet Parkway continue through what is now a field.

David Urich, of the Responsible Growth Management Coalition, praised the commissioner’s vote.

“As I studied some of the needs, I came up with what I call the poor man’s beltway, which was connecting Littleton (Road) to Kismet (Parkway),” Urich said.

While some are excited about the construction progress, other homeowners expressed their concerns with the increase in traffic.

“In our study we predicted that in 2040 traffic will be 20,600 vehicles,” said Kris Cella, a spokesperson for Cella Molnar & Associates.

There will also be a roundabout at Corbett Road designed to keep traffic moving.

County Commissioner Brian Hamman has advocated for the construction project in the past to ease traffic concerns.

“This is a project I’ve been pushing for four years trying to help people get to work from Cape Coral a little more safely,” Hamman said.

Urich said he’s working to further another project involving a four-mile connection on the west side of Kismet Parkway to Burnt Store Road.

“It’s now a city bigger than Fort Myers, and it’s going to get even bigger because it has the landmass to expand to,” Urich said.

Work is expected to begin next summer.

The county is also working to conduct another study from Corbett Road to Cleveland Avenue to potentially discuss expanding the stretch to four lanes.

MORE: Cape Coral moving forward with plans to improve problematic intersection