Expansion of Burnt Store Road could be done ahead of schedule

Safety changes for the Burnt Store corridor thousands of commuters drive every day—could be done ahead of schedule.

Burnt Store Road stretches almost 20 miles from Cape Coral to I-75 in Charlotte County.

Those who live in Cape Coral have probably noticed drastic improvements along Burnt Store Road since 2005.

What used to be two lanes is now four, but that ends just north of Van Buren Parkway where it bottlenecks back to one lane each direction.

In addition to your everyday safety, officials in both Charlotte and Lee Counties say the road is an important hurricane evacuation route, and that is why both want to get this stretch of road widened quickly.

On the Charlotte County side of the project, you can already see trees being cut down to prepare for the eventual widening.

Lee County says they are also preparing, but the big question is when will the work actually begin?

“We’re starting what’s called a project development and environmental study, this is how we find out how to design the project, how to permit it so that it doesn’t harm the environment. That process actually has started, it could be a three-year process,” said Lee County Commissioner, Brian Hamman.

In the meantime, Brian Hamman says Lee County will use that time to push for state funding to help cover the costs of the final stretch of road.

At the same time, crews will complete the expansion of the southern part of Burnt Store Road that stretches from Pine Island to Tropicana.