Mar 15, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Andy Getch, Lee County Department of Transportation
              (239) 479-8510

LEE COMMISSION APPROVES 5-YEAR SIDEWALKS/BIKE PATHS PLAN

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 15, 2005) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved 4.7 miles of sidewalk construction in 2006 and a five-year construction plan that includes 35 miles of sidewalks and bike paths.

The 4.7 miles in 2006 will cost $1.55 million. The 34.7 miles over the next five years will cost $6.8 million.

The project list was recommended by the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which is made up of local residents. The county also has 9.35 miles of previously approved projects under design, costing $2.6 million, the longest of which is 3.5 miles of bike paths along Stringfellow Road on Pine Island.

The projects for 2006 are:

Fort Myers

Ortiz Avenue from Ballard Road to State Road 80 (1.6 miles).
Glenwood Avenue from Ortiz Avenue to Prospect Avenue (0.7 miles).
Tice Street from Lexington Avenue to Ortiz Avenue (0.5 miles).
Lehigh Acres

    4.   Gunnery Road from Lehigh High School to Buckingham Road (1.0 miles).

South Fort Myers

    5. Lakewood Boulevard from Gladiolus Drive to Summerlin Road (0.8 miles).

Captiva

    6. Andy Rosse Lane (gaps) from Captiva Drive to west end (0.1 miles).

See attached for a complete list of current and future adopted projects, or visit http://www.lee-county.com/meetings/agendafiles/2005/03-15-05/Administrative/A9A.pdf.

Since starting to construct sidewalks and bike paths in the mid-1980s, the county has built about 500 path miles of sidewalks, bike paths, bike lanes and paved shoulders along county maintained roadways - about half of that since 1997 (two path miles is equal to a sidewalk, etc., on both sides of the road for one mile). This plan, along with Florida DOT projects along state roads, will bring that total to 675 miles by 2010.

Through a combination of gas taxes, impact fees and budgeted roadway projects, Lee County allocates about $3 million a year for the construction of sidewalks and bike paths based on recommendations by the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

For more information about how to request that a project be considered, contact Andy Getch at 479-8510.

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