Construction in SE Cape changes traffic patterns, residents can’t get out

One man who lives in Cape Coral says the traffic is not only blocking his street but is affecting his mail and trash pickup.

Those who live near Nichols Pkwy East in Cape Coral say it’s busy all day and an absolute nightmare between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Neighbors here say they don’t even attempt to go anywhere because they may never get out of their driveway.

You’re already aware of how horrible the traffic is for those who drive in Southeast Cape. For our viewers and readers who don’t go to SE Cape, you might be able to understand David Gardner’s pain.

He says construction along his road has him blocked in, but he also can’t get the essential services he needs. “They just blocked everything off, and away we went. You can see they haven’t picked up the garbage, and we haven’t gotten any mail,” said Gardner.

Garnder’s home is right in the middle of Nicholas Parkway East, where the Nicholas Parkway East improvement project is. From Santa Barbara Blvd to Country Club Blvd, crews are trying to reconstruct the road to help drivers better handle the curves. The plan also hopes to improve storm drainage.

“I think they could have done it at a more opportune time where there’s not much traffic. In the summer probably when it’s the best time to do it,” Gardner said. 

The company in charge of the project told WINK News that summer is not the best time to do this kind of project. Cella Molnar and Associates say there’s too much rain during the summer months to make that possible.

As for the cones blocking these people’s driveways, the company says crews must work in front of people’s homes. But they believe this short-term inconvenience will lead to long-term satisfaction for residents and visitors alike. This is because those new drains are supposed to significantly reduce flooding issues, if not eliminate them.

In the meantime, though, Gardner said he’s just going to have to stay off the road as much as possible.

“Traffic! You can’t go anywhere. I used to work until 1:00 but, now I get off the road when it starts getting like this,” said Gardner.

The company responsible says this is only phase one of four of the project. All of the work is set to be completed in the spring of 2023.