Collier County awards design contract for proposed Livingston Road flyover

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) - Drivers who use the intersection of Livingston Road and Immokalee Road know the frustration of sitting through long backups, especially during Southwest Florida’s busy season. Now, Collier County is taking the first step toward what leaders hope will be a long-term solution.

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners has awarded a nearly $7.6 million design contract for a proposed flyover that would carry Livingston Road over Immokalee Road, a project aimed at improving traffic flow through one of North Naples’ busiest intersections.

The county awarded the design contract to Fort Myers-based DRMP Inc. The design phase is expected to take about 30 months before the project can move closer to construction.

County leaders say the proposed flyover would allow through traffic on Livingston Road to travel over Immokalee Road while improving traffic operations below. Officials have pointed to the Golden Gate Parkway and Airport-Pulling Road overpass as an example of the type of traffic improvements they hope to achieve with the project.

For drivers like Brittany Cone, traffic at the intersection has become increasingly frustrating.

“I’ve seen cars backed up. It’s been pretty bad,” Cone said.

Joyce Staley said the area’s rapid growth has only made congestion worse.

“The housing that’s going up is causing so much congestion,” Staley said.

Even so, both drivers believe improvements are needed. Cone said she believes the proposed flyover “could probably help relieve some of that traffic that builds up.”

The Livingston Road flyover is one of several transportation projects Collier County is pursuing to address growing traffic demands.

While construction is still years away, county leaders say moving the project into the design phase is the first step toward improving traffic flow through one of North Naples’ busiest intersections.