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Lee County approves faster phasing for Aliko Road project, adds Burnt Store Road to priority list
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a revised phasing plan for the Aliko Road widening that county staff says will deliver the full project about nine months sooner and save roughly $2 million; Burnt Store Road was added to the tier‑1 list. Residents raised safety concerns and asked for more public outreach before the vote.
Lee County commissioners approved a revision to the Aliko Road widening project on May 6, 2025, endorsing a two‑subphase approach intended to speed delivery of a key connection to State Road 82 and to add Burnt Store Road to the county's tier‑1 priority list.
County Department of Transportation Director Rob Price told the board the revised approach breaks Phase 1 into subphases so elements constrained by right‑of‑way or Army Corps permits can proceed sooner. "Our proposed phasing schedule actually will deliver the project in its entirety about 9 months faster and, save the county about $2,000,000," Price said. He also described an agreement with CEMEX that lets the county build turn lanes now while the company reimburses the county for the work.
The board placed emphasis on completing the phase that connects Green Meadow to State Road 82 to relieve traffic on Daniels Parkway, Colonial Boulevard and other routes. Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass and others praised the change as a fiscally prudent way to keep an essential connection on schedule.
Residents and community advocates said they had persistent safety concerns where heavy truck traffic from existing mines mixes with passenger vehicles on the current alignment. Marcia Ellis, who identified herself for the record, urged prioritizing the Burnt Store corridor and other undersized roads, saying the existing pinch points produce crashes that load the county trauma center: "This has been a known hazard for years and years and years," Ellis said during public comment.
Another resident asked the board to delay the vote and hold more outreach to neighborhoods such as Wild Blue and the FGCU area; a speaker identified as Marcellus said the mix of dump trucks and passenger vehicles created escalating dangerous conditions and argued the county should not proceed without further public input.
Commissioners responded by directing staff to improve public communications about the project. One commissioner asked staff to produce a plain‑English video explaining how the road will be built and what benefits the new connection will bring to reduce misinformation; Rob Price said he would resend corrected presentation materials and support county outreach.
The board approved the item on the agenda after discussion and without recorded objection. The action does not alter the legal proportions of the previously adopted funding plan; county staff said the change only adjusts phasing to accelerate delivery where feasible.
The county said design elements such as shared‑use paths and widening remain part of the ultimate scope; Price stressed the county was not abandoning multimodal elements and that design decisions would remain consistent with corridor standards.
