FDOT needs your help to improve U.S. 41 in Charlotte County

Community leaders in Charlotte County want your thoughts about what changes the Florida Dept. of Transportation needs to make to U.S. 41. FDOT will hold meetings Tuesday afternoon, on this week and the next, showing off some ideas for your feedback.

For some people, driving on U.S. 41 can be a challenge. Ask Bill Simmons of Punta Gorda and he will tell you he wants to see an additional lane in each direction. Also, better-timed stoplights.

“Trying to find some way to control the traffic in a better way than they do it today,” Simmons said.

The FDOT said the busier parts of U.S. 41 in Charlotte County see up to 50,000 drivers each day.

Alan Scholz, who lives in Port Charlotte, is one of those drivers. He told WINK News it is busy, like a highway. “Everywhere you want to go,” he said, “is off of 41 kind of more or less.”

FDOT knows the road is not perfect and wants to understand better what drivers see, what they like and what they hate. It is holding two meetings to get driver feedback. The first meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. The second is next Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the First Alliance Church of Port Charlotte.

If you can make it, engineers promise to take your feedback and apply it to future short and long term projects throughout the county. They are hoping to make your drive along U.S. 41 safer and more enjoyable.