Roundabout incoming for Winkler and Challenger intersection

A new roundabout is coming to the City of Fort Myers.

Construction is in full swing at the intersection of Challenger Boulevard and Winkler Avenue.

The project is expected to be done early next year.

• RELATED: Challenger Boulevard closures for roundabout construction work in Fort Myers

In addition to the two-lane roundabout, improvements include new sidewalks, bolder signs, and new pavement markings.

Do roundabouts help curb traffic? That’s a question many ask.

The City of Fort Myers says they do. They said roundabouts improve safety and reduce traffic.

Not everyone is excited about the project.

“My only concern with the roundabout is exactly the size of it, that it needs to be big enough to be effective,” Luther Rogness said.

Rogness lives right next to the intersection.

He claims he has asked the city numerous times to lower the speed limit on the road.

“My biggest concern is how many people are gonna get hit out here that before, you know some of these changes get done,” Rogness said.

He told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean that due to the number of crashes he has seen, he no longer walks on the road, and feels it is safer to do his workout walks staying within his apartment complex.

“Trying to cross the road down there is is very dangerous, because people don’t obey the speed law, the existing speed laws,” Rogness said.

The roundabout would impact him every day, so he is paying close attention.

“I’m hoping that they’re doing it right. Designing it right and getting it done right because it is a very high-traffic area. Especially with mornings and afternoons,” Rogness said.

He wants to see two things.

One, it needs to be big enough for trucks and school buses that drop kids off at the elementary and middle schools right at the intersection.

Two, it needs to be safe for anyone walking in the area.

The entire project costs more than three million dollars and is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.