Lee County to study Midpoint corridor, board supports rephasing Aliko connector

Rob Price, a presenter from the county Department of Transportation, told the Lee County Board of Commissioners that staff had rescored projects under current criteria and that Tier 1 carries nearly $2,000,000,000 in project costs, of which roughly $1,000,000,000 is budgeted and about $986,000,000 remains unfunded. "One of the things we'll point to here is total project cost is almost $2,000,000,000 in tier 1," Price said.

Price flagged the Midpoint corridor as a particular concern after updated cost estimates grew from an initial 2021 projection of about $194,000,000 to a current estimate near $600,000,000. He asked the board to concur with a corridor‑wide traffic engineering study to evaluate whether targeted intersection improvements — at Del Prado, Veterans, Summer and Colonial — could address congestion without full six‑laning. "We're asking the board's concurrence with us to let us move forward with a traffic engineering study that is going to look at this corridor as a whole," Price said.

Several commissioners asked that the study include the Country Club intersection and other choke points; staff agreed to include those locations in the scope. The County Manager summarized the board directions: proceed with the Midpoint study (including Colonial to Country Club), keep Midpoint on the Tier 1 list pending study results, and concurrently evaluate moving Burnt Store Road into Tier 1 while seeking accelerated funding options.

The meeting also focused on the Aliko connector, a multi‑phase project staff said will cost just under $350,000,000 if built as currently phased. Price described breaking Phase 1 into Phase 1a (wildlife underpass, mitigation and timing‑based improvements) and Phase 1b (lane widening), and advancing Phase 2 — the critical Lehigh Acres connection — earlier to relieve SR 82, Daniels and Gunnery Road. He said Phase 1a could go to bid later this year and that temporary traffic signals with FDOT approval could provide interim relief for five to seven years while full continuous flow improvements are completed.

A majority of commissioners voiced support for the rephasing concept and urged staff to pursue alternative financing and funding partnerships to accelerate projects that are ready but unfunded. Staff said PD&E documents for other projects (for example, Fernstor Road and Hickory bridge work) are progressing and that legislative appropriations and grant options are being pursued for bridge PD&E phases.

The County Manager and DOT staff said they will return with study scopes and funding‑option analyses for the board’s further direction. The workshop produced consensus direction rather than a formal vote.