Lee County business owners report dangerous conditions on US 41 project

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—A major road project on U.S. 41 in Lee County is dragging on longer than expected, and workers along the route say it's becoming dangerous.

The Florida Department of Transportation says the project is about 95% complete. But people who use the road every day say it doesn't feel that way.

"They said they were going to be done months ago—so who knows," said Arik Leaders, a junior artist at Loyal 2 The Coil Tattoos & Piercings.

For more than a year, construction crews have been working to add new traffic signals, lighting and pedestrian beacons. But for the people living and working along U.S. 41, the day-to-day reality looks very different.

"There's always tons of construction, the trucks, and they're always parked up on side of the road and stuff, because there's not much road space," Leaders said.

Business owners say the constant changes from cones to closed lanes are confusing drivers and making simple turns risky. 

"All the trucks are everywhere, blocking everything," Leaders said.

And it's not just drivers at risk. One business owner along U.S. 41 said pedestrians are also in danger.

"I've had a couple people that have had close calls with being hit, pretty bad," the business owner said. "Their people are just not paying attention."

Some say they've seen the consequences firsthand.

"We have definitely been involved in a lot of situations where people have been hurt really bad and some resulting in death, more than I'd like to admit, but quite a few," the business owner said.

FDOT says the project will be complete in spring 2026, according to a press release from Friday. WINK News reached out to FDOT for additional comment but did not receive a response.

WINK News will continue to push for answers.