Mariaregina Mendoza
•8/15/2026
ESTERO, Fla. (WINK)—New wrong-way detection systems are now active at two I-75 interchanges in Southwest Florida.
The Florida Department of Transportation installed the technology at the intersection of Alico Road and Bonita Beach Road. The systems use sensors to detect drivers entering the interstate in the wrong direction.
When a wrong-way driver is detected, warning signs begin flashing and alert traffic management.
The technology comes after two deadly wrong-way crashes on I-75 in recent months. One crash near Immokalee Road killed a 96-year-old Naples man, and another in Charlotte County killed a 21-year-old woman.
Drivers who use the interstate say the new safety measures could help prevent future tragedies. Joan Camus, a local driver, supports the initiative.
"It's an excellent idea. Anything that helps prevent a tragedy," Camus said.
Doug Short said the system could benefit all drivers on the highway.
"That is something that would benefit not only myself, not only people that are visiting down here. Anyone that should be on the highway at times somebody's driving in the wrong direction," Short said.
FDOT recently finished resurfacing I-75 from south of Bonita Beach Road to north of Alico Road. The project fixed road defects to make driving safer at highway speeds.
With the area growing and more traffic on the road, FDOT says the improvements are part of its statewide effort to reduce serious and deadly crashes. If drivers encounter a wrong-way driver or see a warning on an electronic message board, FDOT says they should slow down, use caution, pull over and call 911.
