McGregor to receive a makeover in pavement project

Repairing failing infrastructure is what Fort Myers Councilman Liston Bochette says the McGregor Boulevard construction job is really about.

“The real work, the million-dollar job, is going underground, and we just see the brick on top,” said Bochette.

Bochette said the brick finish is an investment and another way to save taxpayers some precious dollars.

“A good, prudent investing,” said Bochette. “We save the taxpayers by going back to brick as they did downtown, and this will tie to that downtown look and create that historic entertainment zone that brings more tourists, more jobs and more dollars back into the community.”

Repairing dips and drops in the road will take some time, but this is important to keep the area safe.

• READ MORE: Part of McGregor Blvd. closing Monday as part of paving project

Even though it will improve the roadway and help the community, many people know this will cause issues for their commute.

“Oh, as humans, we don’t like change, so there will be a lot of complaining and grumbling,” said one Fort Myers local.

“You can see how busy it is even on a weekend, so I imagine it’s going to impact it quite a bit,” said resident Christian Beaman.

“Things need to be maintained. They need to be kept up. Ten weeks sounds like a long time,” said another Fort Myers local, Logan Smith.

The city has listed several detours:

• The eastbound/northbound detour will redirect traffic off McGregor Boulevard at Linhart Avenue, continuing to Cortez Boulevard, Monte Vista Street, Marilyn Road/Euclid Avenue, and Illinois Avenue, and then returning to McGregor Boulevard.
• The westbound/southbound detour will redirect traffic from McGregor Boulevard at Virginia Avenue, continuing to Euclid Avenue/Marilyn Road, Monte Vista Street, Cortez Boulevard and Linhart Avenue, returning to McGregor Boulevard.

Construction crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until the project is done.

Past reporting: