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Fed up with traffic congestion; this group wants to hear from you

By Staff | Mar 16, 2009

The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) said today it wants to hear from motorists who are tired of sitting in traffic on Lee County’s roadways.

The MPO is asking local newspapers to publish a mail-in “coupon” that their readers may fill out and send in to identify locations of chronic traffic jams and suggest specific actions that might be taken to alleviate these back-ups. Motorists can also report congestion by going online and completing an interactive form at http://mpo-swfl.org/mpootherissues.shtml

The MPO will compile the responses that are received, and forward them to the appropriate local government agencies and the Florida Department of Transportation. Where congestion can be alleviated by retiming traffic signals, restriping travel lanes, or other measures that can be conducted as part of their routine operations or maintenance programs, these agencies may be able to correct the problem in a matter of months. More costly projects, such as intersection improvements, may be prioritized by the MPO over the summer for funding that set aside for such projects. Projects requiring additional right of way must be prioritized for funding in fiscal year 2013/14, in competition with other large scale road projects.

In the past, these coupons have proven to be a very effective means of gathering input from those who are most familiar with Lee County’s traffic problems-the drivers who experience them every day. Some of the recent improvements implemented as a result of responses received from the public include the construction of a second northbound left turn lane on SR 82 to westbound Daniels Parkway, extension of the eastbound right turn lane on Veterans Parkway exit ramp to southbound Del Prado Boulevard, extension of the dual northbound left turn lanes on US 41 to westbound College Parkway, the extension of the southbound left turn lanes on US 41 to eastbound Daniels Parkway, installation of a new traffic light at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Surfside Boulevard, and traffic signal retiming on several intersections in Lee County for better traffic flow and coordination.

Visit the MPO on the World Wide Web at http://www.mpo-swfl.org/