FDOT near completion of Lehigh Acres continuous roadway

Motorists will start seeing changes on a major roadway soon as state officials are finishing up construction in Lehigh Acres. It is at State Rd. 82 and Gunnery Rd. at the intersection where Gunnery turns into Daniels. It is the first project of its kind in Florida.

Juan DeJesus drives through a busy intersection almost every day. He said he is looking forward to the day he will no longer get stuck in a traffic jam.

“It’s really bad,” DeJesus said. “At this point, it’s really bad.”

The Florida Dept. of Transportation will soon finish part of the SR-82 widening project, which includes a continuous flow intersection at the corner of Gunnery Rd. and SR-82.

But the most significant change involves making a left hand onto Gunnery Rd or Daniels Pkwy. A video released by FDOT gives you a better look at its plans to create a left turn crossover. It will allow drivers to make a left-hand turn before they reach the main intersection.

“One of the things that this intersection has more so than a lot of the other intersections is just an extremely high number of left turns,” said Zac Burch, communications manager FDOT District 1.

The high number of left turns creates a backup. Marcy Urbina lives near the intersection and she said she has seen many people cut through her neighborhood to avoid the traffic.

“We have a lot more traffic coming through the neighborhood,” Urbina said. “It’s very annoying because people don’t seem to respect the speed limit.”

Regardless, FDOT said they are working to make sure more people are aware of the new changes. It has already put out public service announcements and placed signs near the road.

“It’s really exciting not only from an engineering standpoint,” Burch said, “but from a benefits standpoint in how much better it’s going to be for the folks who drive through that on a daily basis.”