A newly completed roundabout in Fort Myers is raising more than just traffic concerns. The roundabout, located near Ray V. Pottorf Elementary and Dunbar Middle Schools, connects Winkler Avenue and Challenger Boulevard. While the $3.5 million construction project was intended to improve traffic flow, it's an error on the road signs that’s drawing the most attention.
The issue? A glaring misspelling of "Winkler Avenue" — not just on one sign, but on two. The signs instead read "Wrinkler Avenue," a mistake that's leaving many residents baffled and disappointed.
“First thing that comes to mind is probably… is my shirt wrinkled?” said Charlie Lyles, a local resident. “But how do you misspell Winkler? To ‘Wrinkler’? Maybe their shirts were wrinkled that day… I don’t know.”
The misspelled signs are turning heads, particularly with the elementary school located so close by. For many, the mistake raises serious questions about the quality of work and attention to detail that went into the roundabout project.
"It's not very educated, you know?" Lyles continued. "It's a serious problem. As much as we've been through in this state, we can't be messing up street signs. People need to know where they’re going."
Skilah Nicholson, also a Fort Myers resident, was even more blunt in her criticism. “I bet you I could go ask the little child standing over there, and I bet you he could spell it,” she said, referring to the elementary school children who might be confused by the mistake.
The roundabout, which was expected to cost over $3.5 million, was meant to ease traffic congestion in the growing area. However, residents are now left wondering how something so simple — a misspelled road sign — could slip through the cracks in such an expensive and high-profile project.
NBC2 reached out to the City of Fort Myers to ask if they’re planning on replacing the two misspelled signs and how much it will cost in labor and materials.