Leatherback sea turtle nesting season begins in SanibelA warmer Thursday start with stray showers this afternoon
A project making pedestrians safer will close down the intersection of Johnson Street and Cleveland Avenue. The Cleveland Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project will close a portion of Cleveland Avenue starting Friday, June 2. The good news is the road should only be closed for the day before reopening on Saturday. With all the construction, driving down Cleveland Avenue can be a headache. “I try to avoid the area if I can,” Arcadia resident Cindy Beauchamp said. Orange barriers are blocking massive equipment to finish the Cleveland Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project that began in 2018. Mike Ajack knows the pain of navigating the frustrating stretch of roads daily, because he’s the manager of Just Kicks, a store on Cleveland Avenue. “It actually feels longer. Like it feels longer than five years, it’s pretty hectic for the time it’s been,” Ajack said. “Getting out of here is kind of hard, and now they made it even tighter with the construction, but it’s really frustrating. We get a lot of accidents in front of the store.” The following Friday, June 2, drivers ought to prepare for another road closure. A portion of Cleveland Avenue from McGregor Boulevard to Victoria Avenue will be closed until Saturday, June 3. This closure is intended so crews can replace water mains, inching the project closer to completion. A Florida Department of Transportation Specialist, Adam Rose, shared some thoughts with WINK News about the project. “The overall project itself is 81% Complete. You know, we are moving forward, we’re going– obviously Hurricane Ian had a large impact on things, so we’re still pushing through that,” Rose said. “You kind of notice more people are present at the work sites, but I don’t know. Hopefully, it’ll be done soon,” Ajak said. Signs will be posted showing where drivers can go when the road closes. Crews will work on northbound lanes before working on the southbound lanes. FDOT estimates the entire project will be finished by the end of 2023.