$4.3 billion. That's how much Lee County needs in the foreseeable future for people to be able to drive around without major traffic congestion at every turn.
"You know, the numbers are staggering. It's overwhelming," Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka said.
Just over $1 billion in Lee road, bridge and other transportation-related projects is funded, according to the commissioner. But over the next 30 or so years, $3.3 billion is not.
"I think it's extremely important," Mulicka said. "It is the number one, hot-button issue, asked of us the most."
Lee County now is trying to look creatively at the the building needs puzzle. Road planners have told commissioners they are examining priorities often, in an attempt to help ease congestion and increase safety for as many drivers as possible.
Burnt Store Road in northwest Cape Coral is an example. Most of the road is four lanes, and a much of the road is divided highway. But nearly six miles of it are two lanes. For years Lee County has put off widening that stretch to four, even though Burnt Store is a hurricane evacuation route.
Jim Mackey lives along the two-lane stretch. He said he sees lots of crashes, some fatal, on the road. "So life is the primary aspect in my mind," Mackey said.
Burnt Store carries up to 14,000 vehicles a day, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The agency expects that number to increase to as many as 42,000 a day in 20 years. That's a result of new homes and businesses that are planned for the northwest Cape.
"You always worry about somebody crossing the line," Mackey said. "I always tell my wife, if someone crosses the line and you have time, go off the road, instead of hitting them! I call her a few minutes after she leaves, to make sure she made it to the four lanes safely."
Now Lee is making it a top priority to widen the two-lane stretch to four. Commissioner Mulicka said putting the project several years into the future would have cost about $280 million. Signing contracts in coming months should lower the cost, he said, to $180 million. Safety, hurricane evacuation and money were the keys to making that decision, Mulicka said.
"The gist of this is: We pushed it up for hurricanes, and the project number is two-thirds of what it was," Mulicka explained.
The explosive population growth in Lehigh Acres puts thousands more vehicles on State Route 82 every rush hour. Lee wants to connect 82 with Alico Road to serve commuters heading to and from I-75, Ben Hill Griffin, Three Oaks Parkway, and even US 41. The goal is to take vehicles off 82 and Colonial Boulevard as people commute west and south from Lehigh in the morning, and back east and north in the late afternoon.
Allie Anderson lives in Lehigh and has to take 82 and Colonial to get to her job. She said sometimes the traffic is so congested, it takes 90 minutes for her to commute from her job near Boy Scout Drive and Summerlin to Lehigh in the afternoon or evening.
"I think this could help a lot for jobs, and just getting Lehigh connected to the area for everything," Anderson said.
The traffic is so heavy that Lee is re-arranging the Alico extension time-table. The county is making it a priority to extend Alico as quickly as possible, so drivers can get off 82 and head south. The county said the change will save at least $2 million and shorten the completion date by nine months.
"It allows the whole project to move up much faster," Mulicka said.
At the same time road planners are recommending a pause in planning to add lanes to the Midpoint Bridge. That's a huge project that is estimated to cost at least $600 million. Lee commissioners have agreed that adding more lanes to Midpoint possibly can wait. However the county is pushing ahead with trying to ease congestion on both the Cape Coral and Fort Myers sides of Midpoint. Lee DOT is trying to find ways to improve traffic flow at Del Prado on the Cape side, and at Summerlin and Colonial on the Fort Myers side.
Most transportation dollars come from state and federal grants and gas taxes. Property taxes pay only a small part of the bill. Lee has not increased tolls since 2007, and for now, higher tolls or new toll roads are off the table. But Mulicka said that may have to change.
"The only way to build more roads or move these projects up in time, is to increase how much money we have," he said.
Lee faces a number of transportation challenges, ranging from a new Cape Coral bridge to replacing three aging bridges on Hickory Boulevard in Bonita Springs. Lee DOT numbers from last spring showed the Hickory bridges project was short about $137 million, out of a total cost of roughly $151 million. However Lee DOT said it is receiving some money from last spring's state legislative session to help with funding.
For now creative and efficient use of dollars is the approach to keep Lee from becoming just another traffic-clogged urban area.
"I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen," Mulicka said. "Nobody's throwing their hands in the air, saying: I quit!"
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.