FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:

Kris Cella, Cella & Associates, Inc.
239- 337-1071 FAX: 239- 337-1076
kcella@cella.cc

Don Scott, Collier County Transportation Division
239-774-8192 FAX: 239-774-9370
donaldscott@colliergov.net

CR 951 (Collier Boulevard) PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & ENVIRONMENT (PD&E) STUDY

2nd Public Information Workshop to Present Preliminary Alternative Alignments

Fort Myers, Fla., (Dec. 4, 2003) - The Lee County Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Collier County Transportation Division have scheduled the second public information workshop for the CR 951 PD&E Study in Lee and Collier Counties. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Three Oaks University Center, 20991 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero, Fla. There will be an Open House from 5:30-6 p.m. followed by a short presentation by the project team beginning PROMPTLY at 6 p.m. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

The first public workshop was held on Feb. 20, 2003. The workshop "exercise" included the development of alternatives and the preparation of concerns by the teams.

In September 2003, the CR 951 Project Team issued a Draft Needs Assessment for the proposed CR 951 Extension. The report was prepared in response to public input regarding the documentation of the purpose of, and need for, the proposed improvement. The purpose of, and need for, the extension of CR 951 from Immokalee Road in Collier County to Alico Road in Lee County is based on several factors including: regional travel demand; system linkage; safety; social demands and economic development and consistency with local, regional and state transportation plans.

This project has a unique public involvement program that allows interested parties a significant amount of participation throughout the PD&E Study process. The consensus building process was designed to bring persons with different areas of interest together to exchange information and ideas.

Three small group consensus-building meetings have been held since the first public workshop. Meeting topics have covered purpose and need; the affected environment; preliminary travel demand forecasting; needs assessment; preliminary project alternatives including the "no-project" alternative and alternative evaluation measures. Participants have contributed valuable input including local knowledge of Southwest Florida. Their individual expertise has also assisted the study team in building a comprehensive knowledge base for the project.

The public is encouraged to attend this workshop and view the presentation of the study findings to date. Preliminary alternative alignments will be displayed. Representatives from Lee and Collier Counties will be available to discuss the project.