Project Details

Overview

The Burnt Store Road Widening Project will take the existing roadway configuration of a two-lane undivided rural roadway, with one ten-foot travel lane in each direction, to four lanes in the Interim Phase. The future design for the Ultimate Phase is a six-lane design with a two-lane frontage road. The right-of-way along Burnt Store Road was 200 feet and Lee County acquired an additional 155 feet along the east side of the existing Burnt Store Road to accommodate the new design. To view the project plans, click here.

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The project consists of three Segments: North, Middle, and South. The North Segment is from Van Buren Parkway to Diplomat Parkway. The Middle Segment is from Diplomat Parkway to south of Tropicana Parkway and the South Segment is from Tropicana Parkway to Pine Island Road.

Interim Phase

During the Interim Phase of the project, Burnt Store Road will be expanded to a four-lane divided highway with two twelve-foot travel lanes in each direction. On-road bicycle lanes will be included along with a five-foot sidewalk on the west side and a ten-foot multi-use path on the east side.

During construction, existing travel lanes will be widened, milled and resurfaced to become the new southbound lanes. Two new northbound lanes will be constructed to the east of the existing lanes. The median will be approximately 174 feet wide to allow for future expansion.

Ultimate Phase
Lee County is also planning an ultimate concept for the distant future, incorporating a six-lane divided mainline (three 12-foot travel lanes in each direction) with a two-lane frontage road to the west for local traffic. On-road bike lanes, sidewalk and the multi-use paths are included in the six-lane ultimate concept. An additional northbound lane and three new southbound lanes would be constructed in the existing right-of-way. The two southbound lanes (now existing lanes) of Burnt Store Road would become a two-lane frontage road with a posted speed of 35 mph. The median would be reduced to approximately 60 feet wide.
Under Bridge Pedestrian Walkway

As part of the Burnt Store Road Widening Project, Lee County is raising the elevation of the new bridges to provide pedestrian access underneath the bridges. The new bridge at Hermosa Canal will provide a lighted pedestrian underpass to allow safe passage for pedestrians, but not boats, and will connect the sidewalk to the multi-use path. The fresh water in the weir basins below the bridges are an essential water resource that supplements 60% of the City of Cape Coral‘s irrigation system. The City has no plans on removing the subject weir structures. The weir system will remain in place allowing the canals east of Burnt Store Road to remain as freshwater canals.

 

What to Expect During Construction
The construction of the new northbound roadway will begin first and will not impact traffic flow until the roadway is nearly complete. Then the contractor will tie-in the new roadway into existing Burnt Store Road, then switch the two-lane roadway to the new lanes. Then work begins on reconstructing existing Burnt Store Road. In both the four-lane design and the ultimate six-lane concept, some streets that currently intersect with Burnt Store Road may no longer have direct access to the roadway and side streets will need to be utilized to access the new Burnt Store Road mainline. On streets where the connections will be closed, cul-de-sacs or three-point turnarounds will be implemented. These features will be designed to allow turnarounds by garbage services, emergency services, and commercial vehicles. The work will be done during the day and the typical sounds of construction can be expected. Back-up “beepers” are required on all construction equipment. There will be pile driving during construction of the bridges.