If you’ve driven Pine Island Road lately, you may have noticed something unusual. Instead of traffic lights hanging overhead, they're lying on the ground.
Bundles of signal poles sit staged in the median near Nicholas Parkway, waiting to be installed as part of a major Florida Department of Transportation project.
However, even before they go up, some drivers and business owners are already raising concerns about how the changes on Pine Island will impact convenience and safety.
One of the most recent updates is a new light at the intersection of Pine Island Road and Skyline Boulevard. The signal is installed, but the lights haven't turned on yet, and even when they do, drivers can no longer turn left from Pine Island to Skyline Boulevard. That means drivers will have to go down to Nicholas Parkway, make a U-turn, and loop back.
Nearby business owners like Ken and Kristen VanDalsen, who run the Mix on Pine Island, think the light will improve safety but create a little chaos at Nicholas Parkway.
"I just think there's so much traffic because of the gym right there. People are in a hurry, people are leaving the gym," said Ken VanDalsen. It's going to slow everybody down. Like that's the big thing. There's just a lot of people turning..."
“It’s needed, but there should’ve been a little better thought process,” said Jeff Sagorac, who owns CRE8 Salon and Spa near the new signal. “It just doesn’t make it convenient.”
According to FDOT's latest update on the safety and resurfacing project along State Road 78 (Pine Island Road) between Chiquita Boulevard and Santa Barbara Boulevard, construction is scheduled to wrap up by the end of the summer. The project includes new lighting, signals, turn lane improvements, and repaving.
FDOT has not yet responded to requests for comment about when the new lights will be activated or why certain traffic restrictions remain in place. Transportation officials also did not confirm Tuesday if construction will finish on time.
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