Lee plans to widen major corridor

FORT MYERS — Lee County says it plans to widen Alico Road east of Interstate 75, opening the area up to new development.

The Lee County Department of Transportation is working on a design to widen Alico Road from Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Airport Haul Road, paving the way for as many as six lanes of traffic.

Currently, that section of Alico Road consists of two lanes. The new design includes four lanes of traffic with a median, bicycle lanes and paths on both sides of the road. The median would be wide enough allow for future six lanes and transit lanes.

Much of Alico Road west of I-75 already consists of four to six lanes of traffic. It slices through a mostly industrial area starting from U.S. 41 and traveling east to Gulf Coast Town Center regional mall, which sits at the intersection with the interstate.

The county will hold a public workshop on the project at 4:30 p.m. on May 21 at the Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport Town Center.