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FDOT official outlines long timeline, MPO role for Fowler Street concept
Summary
Wayne Gaither of FDOT told the City of Fort Myers advisory board that Fowler Street is a conceptual idea and that projects move through MPO priorities, a PD&E study and phased funding — a process that can take nine to ten years and requires extensive public involvement.
Wayne Gaither, director of the Florida Department of Transportation's Southwest Area Office, told the City of Fort Myers Economic Development Advisory Board that the Fowler Street improvement proposal remains a conceptual plan and must still move through Metropolitan Planning Organization prioritization, a PD&E (project development and environmental) study and phased state programming.
"Everything that we do is to work in conjunction with the community," Gaither said, describing how local officials, MPOs and the public feed project ideas into FDOT's five‑year work program. He said FDOT budgets on an annual, cash‑flow basis and programs phases — PD&E, design, right of way and construction — into future fiscal years.
Gaither emphasized the multi‑year nature of major transportation projects, saying a straightforward schedule requires funding at each phase and public engagement at PD&E and design. He told members the department recently completed tentative work‑program hearings and that fiscal year 2025 begins on July 1; final adoption typically follows legislative and public review.
Board members pressed Gaither about whether a PD&E for Fowler could be advanced sooner. Gaither said MPO engagement and local advocacy help determine which projects get funding and noted that PD&E studies can cost millions. He described recent cost pressures — "Asphalt's gone up, was almost 20%" — and said some non‑construction inputs (landscaping, sod) had increased sharply, underlining the fiscal uncertainty projects face.
Gaither said FDOT will continue conversations with city staff and MPO representatives and offered to return with a fuller presentation if the Fowler concept gains traction. "If it does get legs, we start to see this move forward," he said. He encouraged local officials to coordinate with their MPO representatives to raise project priority for programming.
The board thanked Gaither and asked staff to request his presentation materials for the committee to review before inviting FDOT back for a deeper discussion.
