Local residents and visitors can now do something about traffic problems in the area. The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization is conducting a survey to target problem locations. WGCU’s Jenny Bechtold has more.

Motorists in Collier and Lee Counties have a new tool to help them navigate I-75.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Collier
County is facing a lawsuit - similar to 13 other Florida communities –
over the use of red light cameras. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Transportation planners in Lee County want to know where drivers are getting stuck in traffic. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports.

Click here to go to the MPO's website to report congested areas in Lee County.

Commuting on Interstate 75 in Lee and Collier Counties should be getting easier thanks to a multi-million dollar traffic system. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Millions of Americans are taking to the roads this holiday weekend. That means more patrolmen on the lookout. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports on the Florida Highway Patrol's efforts to try and keep the Labor Day death statistics as low as possible this year.

With fires and smoke popping up across Southwest Florida, sometimes forcing the closure of major roadways like I-75…the Florida Highway patrol is reminding drivers of a free service to help them have a faster and safer drive home.

Though 5-1-1 is not a new service, state officials are pushing it a little harder now considering the fire and smoke problems across the state. The Florida Department of Transportation says calling 5-1-1 provides commuters with up to the minute traffic information. Spokeswoman Vicky Mixon says folks living in Southwest Florida also have the regional website if they want updates.

“We have the southwest florida 511 dot com website…available to residents and travelers in the Lee, Collier, and Charlotte area, to give them up to the minute information about major evacuations or road closures due to limited visibility.”

Mixon adds the number of calls coming in due to the smoke and fires is way up in recent weeks. During last years wildfires calls to 5-1-1 were up almost 50-percent.

Southwest Floridians have a new, free source for regional traffic information – from both their computers and their phones.

If you're stuck in traffic now answers why are just a phone call away. This region is the 5th to be added to the Florida Department of Transportation’s “511 Network”.

People can get real-time traffic information about conditions on 30 key roadways in Charlotte Lee & Collier Counties. The free service is accessed by dialing 511, or by going to the website SouthwestFlorida511-dot-com.

David Parks is Department spokesman.

“All of the information comes from FHP, Lee County Sheriffs, Collier County Sheriff…basically every emergency responder. When they’re responding to an incident we have a group of folks who are basically listening in on those scanners, similar to what’s used by other resources in town, to get the information they need, and then make the information available through 511 or southwestflorida511.com”

Similar service is provided in the Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale areas. 511 traffic programs are also in place in 33 states besides Florida.

Parks says the goal is to create a free, nationwide traffic network… available ‘round the clock by phone or the web.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking motorists to do what they can to eliminate traffic fatalities. The Collier County Commission says it’s taken the first step, proclaiming Tuesday as “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day”. It’s part of a nationwide effort to remind drivers to be a little more vigilant on the roads, take better care of their vehicles, wear seatbelts and not be in such a rush. Lieutenant Harold Minch of the Collier Sheriff’s traffic enforcement bureau says doing that makes the roads safer.

“Every fatality is a tragedy to both the family and the community. So whether we have...we had 61 total last year, we’ve had 47 so far this year, we may be under our number. We may come in under 61. But coming in underneath that doesn’t help us any. There are still 47 families that are suffering a loss this year.”

Minch says drunk drivers are one of the biggest problems. Last year in Collier County, nearly 40-percent of the deaths were alcohol-related.
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The Collier County Board of Commissioners has declared Tuesday as “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day”. Commissioners and law enforcement officials say too many people die needlessly on area roads. This year in Collier alone, 47 have died. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Harold Minch says slowing down, wearing seatbelts and driving sensibly helps.

“If you put all the prongs together: properly built and engineered roadways, cars that are in proper condition and working order. And there’s been some tremendous gains in the technology of vehicles to help us out: airbag curtains on the side, traction control systems help us out a great deal. And then the enforcement is for those folks who just will not pay attention.”

Southwest Florida transportation officials say it appears the widening of U-S 41 in Bonita Springs is set to finish later this month...almost nine months behind schedule. The 18-million dollar project started in 2003. The mission: add an extra lane for three miles on a busy and congested road in South Lee County. Since then the contractor, Astaldi, has missed many interim deadlines to get the work completed on-time much to the chagrin of residents and businesses who have lost time and money since the 41 widening project began. Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Debbie Tower says the contractor believes the widening will really be completed by the end of the month.

“Florida DOT is not pleased with Astaldi’s overall performance on the project. In recent months, Astaldi has dedicated the resources and has made good progress on the project. However, the agreement was to see this job finished in April. That did not happen and we are disappointed with the schedule moving and slipping.”

The D-O-T fines Astaldi 61-hundred dollars every day. By the time the Italian-based company is finished, it will have to pay 800-thousand dollars in fines.

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The massively-delayed widening of U-S 41 in South Lee County is supposed to be finished by the end of the month. After almost a year of delays, state transportation officials are optimistic the project will be completed soon. Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Debbie Tower says the finish line is in sight. After three years of work to add an extra lane on a three-mile stretch of U-S 41 through Bonita Springs, the project’s end can’t come soon enough for business owners and residents. Tower says the project was supposed to be finished last January. Then it was April, then the summer and now by the end of September, hopefully.

“We certainly understand the community’s frustration with this project. In fact, we share it. We understand the community would like to see six-lanes open to traffic and would have liked to have seen that in January. Certainly April, the project should have been finished. We understand the frustration.”

The Italian contractor, Astaldi, has blamed rainy weather, cement shortages and unexpected environmental obstacles. The company now has to pay 61-hundred dollars every day to the state as a penalty. By the time the project finishes, Astaldi will have to fork over more than 800-thousand dollars in fines.