Any fixes for SWFL traffic?

FORT MYERS, Fla.- How many times, day after day, do you get caught in a traffic mess?

The Sunshine State just set another tourism record and that means more people than ever flooding into Southwest Florida.

“I have lived here for nearly 30 years and this is as bad as I have ever seen the traffic,” said Earl Persinger.

“I see a lot of road rage. Especially at this light right here,” said Peter Swafford.

Even former Governor Jeb Bush noticed, joking about traffic last week in Bonita Springs.

“There is more traffic here than in Miami for crying out loud,” said Bush.

Monday, Governor Rick Scott announced that 2014 was another record breaking tourism year.

Persinger wonders if the Florida Department of Transportation can keep up.

“The numbers this town has grown, it may have grown faster than they have expected it to,” said Persinger.

FDOT tells WINK News they have completed projects like the new Metro Parkway to help alleviate traffic on US 41.

The department is also studying traffic in certain areas, but says those studies take time and road projects take money.

“I think we could use some more lanes or something like that,” said Swafford.

FDOT says roads like US 41 are very difficult to expand because of how close businesses are.

Lee County officials say they will soon be adding even more technology on county owned roads where the traffic lights communicate trying to avoid congestion.

One out of state visitor says the traffic isn’t really that bad.

“It flows well, the pace of the lights is well, it’s just that when you have to make that left hand turn, that is when it slows it way down,” said Bob Monts.

FDOT also says it works very closely with the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization to plan which roads need the most attention.
They also say this is a typical “season” as far as how much traffic is on the roads, much like we had before the recession.