Cape Coral sidewalk expansion plan proposed

Sidewalks in Cape Coral are few and far between as the city continues to grow. That means more kids walking to school, but there’s a plan to get more of them.

There are more sidewalk expansion plans being proposed, from enhancing existing sidewalks to adding new ones. The goal of the sidewalk expansion plan is to have sidewalks on both sides of major roads within a two-mile radius of every school, making sure kids get to and from their classrooms safely.

“They’re just like standing in the middle of the road where people are going to work, 6 in the morning, 5 in the morning. You got cars flying up and down, not really seeing kids,” said Carmen Cutugno, a Cape Coral resident.

The Cape Coral Transportation Advisory Board also agrees this is dangerous, and they’re meeting on Wednesday to discuss the sidewalk expansion plan.

The first phase is to install sidewalks on one side of all major roads within one mile of schools.

The advisory board is nearly finished with this phase.

The second phase is installing sidewalks on both sides of all major roads within one mile of schools, but that isn’t expected to start until fiscal year 2028.

The board is also considering passing a resolution on Wednesday to fund sidewalks on Chiquita from the Northwest First Terrace to the Northwest Seventh Terrace because of immediate safety concerns.

If the resolution is passed, these sidewalks will be finished by fiscal year 2025.