Roundabout approved for intersection at Gunnery Road and Buckingham Road

Lee County officials are looking to improve safety and make traffic smoother with a roundabout at the intersection of Gunnery Road and Buckingham Road.

The Lee County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation Tuesday morning to get $4.6 million in federal funding to build a roundabout at the intersection.

With over 70 crashes documented at the intersection since 2019, Maggie Land, a teacher at the Gunnery Road Christian Academy, can’t wait to see changes to the intersection in Lehigh Acres.

“It is a dangerous intersection, and it really does affect us,” said Land.

Fellow Academy teacher Luke Holt explained, “The intersection is a bit of a problem. I think a lot of drivers find it confusing, especially if you’ve not been here before, because it’s a one-way stop, but it’s right on the turn.”

For teachers and students at the academy adjacent to the intersection, this was a long time coming.

“We’ve been talking about it for years, so I’m happy to hear the vote,” said Holt.

A county survey shows the intersection as the second most needed place in the area for a roundabout due to the number of crashes and location.

Land told WINK, “In the mornings and the afternoon people come in right here, and if there’s a crash right there … that slows down traffic and even just gets people’s attention off of what we should be doing.”

The project is scheduled to begin construction in early 2025 and could take a year to finish.

“I do think a turn lane would be great for us personally, and maybe some signs as well, just to let people know that there is a school, and there are kids running around and just to be more mindful of that,” said Land.