Optional toll express lanes in each direction — two from Golden Gate Parkway to Corkscrew Road and one through the Corkscrew Road interchange — are among the proposed improvements of the I-75 21-mile widening project slated to begin this fall.
The project is part of the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative which aims to increase road capacity and deliver congestion relief to motorists.
Auxiliary lanes will also be added in both directions between Golden Gate Parkway and Alico Road. The auxiliary lanes will allow drivers to travel from one entrance ramp to the next exit ramp without entering the main flow of traffic.
“You’re gonna be in that [auxiliary] lane, and you don’t have to worry about weaving in and weaving out, you’re gonna get in that lane and go,” an FDOT official said at the Lee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting Friday. “You’re not gonna have to hurry up, get on the interstate, move over. [The auxiliary lane is] going to give you a lot more time.”
FDOT said the focus is on the congestion relief lanes between Bonita Beach Road and Immokalee Road. That is the starting point of the project, and an FDOT official said a completion timeline of early 2027.
Construction for the express lanes could begin “any time next year,” an FDOT official said.
In addition, a new diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will be built at Immokalee Road. A DDI allows free flowing turns when entering and exiting an interstate.
FDOT says the DDI gets rid of “conflict points” of where crashes may occur. A DDI was built at I-75 and Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers in 2025.
As part of the I-75 widening project, noise walls will be constructed to reduce — not eliminate — traffic noise in 29 neighborhoods near the highway. FDOT is proposing 20 segments of 22-foot tall ground-mounted noise walls, totaling approximately 16 miles.
The total estimated cost to construct the noise walls is $77 million dollars and is anticipated to benefit 3,741 homes with an average noise reduction of 7.4 decibels.
FDOT said traffic noise studies were conducted in areas within the project limits.
The noise wall map provided at the MPO meeting by the FDOT showed some residential areas, such as the Shadow Wood Community in Bonita Springs and The Brooks Community in Estero, without a continuous noise wall.
Village of Estero District 6 Councilmember Jim Ward in a public comment requested FDOT meet with Estero residents in regard to extending the noise wall to cover the border of the Brooks community, which is home to approximately 7,000 residents.
“We fully recognize the need to expand I-75 to ensure the continued growth and prosperity of Lee County and Southwest Florida,” he said. “We also recognize that the noise levels and quality of life issues will increase significantly as a result of the expansion to 10 lanes.”
An FDOT official gave the project a three-year construction timeframe.
For more information about the project, visit the FDOT website.
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