Plans to ease traffic on Immokalee Road

Trying to make traffic flow smoother and avoid as many back-ups on Immokalee Road as possible.

A Collier County spokesperson told WINK News the county recently completed a congestion study on Immokalee Rd. Then commissioners approved a list of recommendations designed to make traffic and safety concerns better for drivers.

Some of the added safety measures include lane improvements and adding an overpass at Immokalee Rd. and Livingston Road.

Bumper-to-bumper congestion can be a nightmare around the area.

Stacy Bitner, a commuter, and Durae Welch, a Naples resident, spoke with WINK News about the traffic issues.

“Just continues to just clog up the streets. And it’s hard to get anywhere,” Bittner said.

“Everybody’s frustrated,” Welch said.

Drivers like Bittner and Welch are sick of the hold-up on Immokalee Rd. and have been asking questions for years about a solution.

“I think we need more roads that run parallel to Immokalee. And also other ways to get on to I-75. I know that Pine Ridge is there,” Bittner said. “But I think we need some other ways also to get on to 75.”

The county’s got a long list of recommendations, such as “implement an adaptive traffic signal control system.” This would reduce congestion based on real-time traffic. And “pursue a diamond interchange at the Immokalee Rd. and I-75 interchange.”

Also, “pursue other recommended activities necessary to manage congestion and improve the operational efficiency, safety, and functionality of this corridor.”

Welch and Bittner hope the changes happen soon.

“I don’t know they just need to figure something out,” Welch said.

The county’s growth management site said the traffic volume along Immokalee Rd. between Livingston Road and Logan Rd. is just under 44,000 vehicles per day and is quickly approaching the roadway’s capacity.

And “this section of Immokalee Road will experience severe delays by 2040 if no improvements are made, as traffic volumes are expected to grow by 67% in 2040.