Jun 26, 2007

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:           Randy Cerchie, Construction Project Manager, 479-8580 

WHAT:            Gunnery Road Four Laning Project Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 

WHEN:            Tuesday, June 26, 2 p.m.; County Commissioner Frank Mann will serve as master of ceremonies 

WHERE:          Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Station #3, 308 Gunnery Road (between Douglas Lane and 7th St. SW), Lehigh Acres

PARKING:      Please park behind the fire station on the Gretchen Ave. shoulder

BACKGROUND: 

Growth and development in Lee County is ongoing and fast paced.  28,000 people move to Lee County each year. One of the greatest, and most difficult, issues for the Lee County Board of County Commissioners is keeping up with the increasing demands of an ever increasing population.

Building this new infrastructure quickly and paying for it is always challenging. Lehigh Acres is one of the fastest growing communities in Lee County. It is no longer a ´little sleepy retirement community' it once was. It has evolved into one of the largest areas – in both square miles ( 143 ) and population ( 80,000+ ) – in southwest Florida. Consequently, over the years, traffic congestion has become an issue. It became obvious to the County Commissioners that Lehigh Acres needed increased road capacity and additional traffic lanes.

Thus, the Gunnery Road four laning project was moved up the list of projects that needed to be completed. We are here today to celebrate the grand opening of the ´new and improved' Gunnery Road. The entire community….residents, visitors, businesses, schools and public safety agencies….will be the beneficiaries.

Gunnery Road is an important transportation link to the residents and businesses of Lehigh Acres. This road connects the community to Daniels Parkway which in turn provides connections to I-75, the Southwest International Airport, Florida Gulf Coast University and south Fort Myers.

Lee County Department of Transportation has recently finished construction of the widening of 2.5 miles of Gunnery Road from Lee Boulevard south to just north of State Route 82. The project expanded the existing 2 lanes to 4 lanes with the ability to expand to 6 lanes in the future. Construction includes a curb and gutter section with closed drainage, sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, a new signal at Gunnery and Leonard/23rd Street. Changes were made to the median openings along Gunnery Road and additional side streets were constructed to improve the traffic circulation and flow.

The project cost $ 10.3 million. Florida Department of Transportation provided $995,000 of County Incentive Grant Program funding toward the widening of Gunnery Road. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners supplied the balance using road impact fees.

It's very likely that Lehigh Acres will continue to grow in ´leaps and bounds' and local government will need to continue to build new infrastructure so the community will remain of the best places in Lee County to work, live and raise a family.

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