Council chooses roundabout at NE 20th and Diplomat Parkway for North 1 East UEP

Cape Coral City Council voted unanimously June 4 to install a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Northeast 20th Street and Diplomat Parkway as part of the North 1 East UEP roadway improvements.

Public Works recommended the roundabout after an engineer’s review that compared a traffic signal and a roundabout. Staff said both treatments can meet future traffic projections, but the roundabout reduces conflict points (from 32 to 8 for a standard intersection), lowers entering speeds and reduces the severity of crashes. Staff also cited storm resiliency: a roundabout remains operational when signals are down following storm-related infrastructure damage. Preliminary capital costs presented to council were about $3.7 million for the roundabout vs. about $4.0 million for a signalized intersection; additional costs such as wetland mitigation and utility relocations were not fully included and could raise the roundabout’s final price.

Council members asked about wetland mitigation and land acquisitions. Staff said land acquisition costs and right-of-way purchases are embedded in the estimates; wetland mitigation bank credits average about $200,000 per acre on the market, and the likely impact was described as less than five acres — firmly subject to site survey and regulatory review. Staff recommended the roundabout on safety and resiliency grounds and because consultant modeling shows it will operate beyond the planning horizon. The motion to approve the roundabout passed 8-0.