JUSTIN MARTIN Lehigh Acres residents and local officials celebrated the widening of Homestead Road at a groundbreaking ceremony today.

Lehigh Acres residents and local officials celebrated the widening of Homestead Road at a groundbreaking ceremony today.

Lee County Commissioners Frank Mann, Cecil Pendergrass and John Manning were joined by local officials, like Lehigh Acres Community Council President Rick Angilickis, to turn over the first symbolic mound of earth with gold-plated shovels.

The Lee County Department of Transportation and the contractor, Stevens and Layton, will widen Homestead from two to four lanes from south of Sunrise Boulevard to north of Alabama Road.

The work will also include lighting, improved drainage and new underground utilities.

Mann, who represents District 5 which covers Lehigh Acres, spoke to the audience about the long process that has been involved in making the road widening project a reality.

JUSTIN MARTIN District 5 Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann, who represents Lehigh Acres, speaks to the audience about the long process that has been involved in making the project a reality.

“We were talking about this project when I was first elected a decade ago. It was my own personal priority and I know it was for thousands of the citizens of Lehigh Acres,” he said.

“We had a terrible recession that intervened and that threw all kinds of projects way behind schedule, and the revenue we thought we could depend on did not materialize,” Mann said. “It has finally all come together.”

He explained that the addition of bicycle lanes and sidewalks, which will be included in the construction, will make Homestead Road safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“It’s a matter of not just convenience, but safety. Now we are going to be able to include bikers and hikers,” Mann said.

“This completes a dream in so many ways for so many citizens of Lehigh Acres, and I hope it’s just the first step,” he said.

Mann also touched on the economic impact that the road widening project would have on Lehigh, an area that is one of the fastest growing areas in Southwest Florida.

“This is something that every Realtor that sets foot in Lehigh Acres can point to with great pride and say, ‘This is a community that’s growing. It’s growing in economic development, it’s growing in overall health,'” he said. “It’s a good day that we can brag about and know that the community is looking better and moving forward.”

Expected to be completed in late 2019, the project includes the lane expansions and addition of bike lanes and a 6-foot sidewalk to both sides of the road. The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $14.4 million.

For updates on the road project, including closures and detours, visit the project website managed by the Lee County DOT at: www.homesteadroadwidening.com/.