Extension project connecting Lee, Collier counties near completion

A project that has taken years to construct will soon make your life easier if you want to get from Collier County to Lee County while avoiding Interstate 75 and U.S. 41.

Right now, in Collier County, some drivers said traffic is difficult to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

“It’s horrible right now,” said Fred Finger, who lives in Naples. “Just horrible. I mean, it’s gotten ridiculous. You can’t go anywhere at all. Especially during rush hour in the morning and during the afternoon.”

“It’s gotten bad,” said Jane Wright, a Naples resident. “I mean, it’s bumper to bumper.”

The county noticed and has put plans into place to extend Logan Blvd., connecting Immokalee Rd. with Bonita Beach Rd. in Lee County.

“That’s gonna be so great,” Wright said, “because that means it won’t be so clustered on Immokalee.”

The initiative will make commutes more manageable and could cause traffic to be less congested. The roads are set to open on Jan. 31.

“Oh, really? That soon?” Wright said. “When you said it, I thought it was gonna maybe be in a couple of months.”

The opening date reflects the start of the project in 2017. However, the project was only intended to take a year. The City of Bonita Springs confirms the road is ready.

“Incredibly exciting, if it works,” Finger said. “And if I see a lot less traffic than I’ve seen now that going to be marvelous, it’ll be fantastic.”

Collier County’s portion of the extension has been completed, while Bonita Springs is working on the section that will connect that. Once the landscaping is complete, the road will open in February.

But, Bunny Kaufman is not entirely sold. She lives in the community adjacent to the new road in Naples.

“There’s going to be a lot of traffic and it’s hard enough with a stop sign trying to get out,” Kaufman said.

But, if it is growth and development bringing all that traffic outside her door, she said: “you can’t stop progress.

“And if it’s going to help,” Kaufman said, “then you have to put up with it.”