Street signs damaged by Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral still need repairs

It’s been almost a year since Hurricane Ian hit Florida, and many street signs remain damaged, especially in Cape Coral.

Cape Coral leaders say most repairs are not simple, so they’re waiting on FEMA’s help.

Intersections should always be a place of caution for drivers, but they are currently especially so for drivers in Cape Coral because of broken traffic lights.

“I’ve just noticed them at the intersections only have one light functioning. Like at Chiquita — I don’t remember what the crossroad was — And it does get a little confusing because if you’re not paying attention, like in the right lane, and it seems to be the right lane light, are the ones that aren’t working,” said Catarina Adams, a resident in Cape Coral.

Drivers should also be cautious on all areas of the roads because many street signs are not where they should be.

“I think the biggest problem I’ve noticed is the stop signs may be, you know, reinstalled or standing upright, but the stop sign itself is sometimes slanted, or people aren’t recognizing that there is a stop sign there because they’re facing the wrong direction. That’s one thing that I’ve noticed in our neighborhood and just around the community,” said Cape Coral resident Kari Selisker.

The City of Cape Coral discussed a plan in place for handling this cleanup since Ian. They say the majority of the remaining light repairs need to be approved for federal aid before they can be fixed.

They said they expect the project to start in September and completing the signal repairs will take six months.

“Just to make sure someone doesn’t miss just one traffic signal at the intersections. I’ll be glad to get us back up and running in pre-hurricane conditions, so we’re having our intersections safe again,” said Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter.

Then it will be another six months to complete overhead street sign repairs. The city said stop signs should already be fixed.

“Just for safety? That was completely our top priority. And working with Lee County to get the signals up also, of course, was even higher priority, but secondly, yes, all the stop signs just strictly from a safety standpoint,” said Wendy Williams, the principal engineer.

Cape Coral says if you see a stop sign or any street sign that is still bent or twisted or on the ground, report it.