A change in timeline for the Alico Road extension to State Road 82 has some excited for a quicker route and others worried about the safety of neighbors walking along the road.
"It is not safe for us to walk over across Alico Road,” said neighbor Marsha Ellis
Living off Alico, she said she knows how much traffic there is on Alico Road east of I-75.
She said she’s looking forward to more lanes and a multi-use path, so it's safer.
Lee County will move forward with basic improvements on Alico Road from Airport Haul Road to Green Meadow Road at the end of 2025.
It won't be widened until 2027.
"They have referred to the project as faster and cheaper,” Ellis said. “I am opposed to that because savings should not cost lives."
Lee County leaders say changing the project timeline will lower the cost of the project by $2 million and will speed up construction.
They tell me the change in plans will not impact the shared-use path.
Eventually, Alico Road will be extended so it connects with State Road 82.
Real estate agent Melissa Orta said the project needs to get done as soon as possible.
"I would love for them to move forward quicker because unfortunately, the amount of people are moving here is not stopping and we need to catch up with that,” Orta said.
She said she understands other neighbors' concerns, but said the change is needed.
"A lot of people that have lived here for a long time have seen just the drastic changes and the impacts that it does have on the environment, but it's one of those things that we can't stop,” Orta said. “We need to just prepare."
To help shape plans for projects like this one in the future, the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting a public workshop on May 12 at the Lakes Regional Library.
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