Lee County DOT announces safety improvements to intersection of Burnt Store Road and Tropicana Parkway
Fort Myers, FL, Feb. 22, 2023 – Lee County has announced improvements to the busy intersection of Burnt Store Road and Tropicana Parkway in northwest Cape Coral as part of its ongoing Burnt Store Road Widening project.
Lee County DOT has been monitoring this intersection and has heard concerns about its current configuration. A review of the crash data associated with the intersection indicate that there has been a marked increase in crashes, with a total of 25 last year.
The improvements will occur in two phases and will create a safer intersection for motorists.
Beginning Thursday, Feb. 23, DOT crews will implement phase one and use barricades to close the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of Burnt Store Road. This temporary adjustment will eliminate all left turns at the intersection.
In addition to immediately reducing the risk of collisions, this move also will create a safe work zone for the county’s contractor during phase two improvements. For phase two, the county is currently working with the designer and contractor for the Burnt Store Road Widening project to design and implement alterations to the intersection before the widening project is completed in spring. Once permanent work is completed at the intersection, north and southbound traffic will again be able to make left turns.
Today’s announcement comes because steps DOT initiated last year did not have enough impact on motorists’ behavior. Those steps included adjusted signage and landscaping. The steps planned now for Burnt Store Road and Tropicana Parkway mirror those the county previously took to boost safety at Burnt Store Road and Embers Parkway.
The county continues to coordinate with the City of Cape Coral throughout the project.
For more information on the project, go to www.burntstorewidening.com. For more information about the Lee County Department of Transportation, visit www.leegov.com/dot. To receive updates from Lee County Government, sign up for the newsletter here: www.leegov.com/resources/newsletters. Follow Lee County Government on Facebook, www.facebook.com/leecountyflbocc.