Ever since the Florida Department of Transportation began working on the Matanzas Pass Bridge earlier this month, traffic has been backing up on Estero Boulevard south, in some cases for miles. The Mayor and Town Manager Andy Hyatt want this addressed before season kicks in.
FDOT has not only made the Matanzas Pass Bridge one lane on and one lane off, eliminating the bus/bike lane coming onto the bridge as they work on expanding the walkover, they have closed off a portion of Estero Boulevard at the base of the bridge. That forces all exiting traffic to Crescent street to leave the beach. On days Margaritaville is backed up checking in guests, traffic backs up onto Estero Boulevard. Let’s also not forget how badly Crescent floods during a heavy rain. We’ve witnessed first-hand how vehicles stall in deep water during a storm.
FDOT says this current traffic pattern will remain in place through the Spring of 2025.
At the meeting, Mayor Allers emphasized how important having a working traffic pattern is not only vital now, but especially when the population balloons to tens of thousands of people during season. “FDOT was very receptive to our concerns,” Allers told Beach Talk Radio after the meeting. “They are taking this very seriously. They are going to take a look at what they can do.” The town has also offered FDOT town parking spaces for their workers if that helps the situation at all.
This week crews were adding barriers to the bridge for pedestrians and bikers and they were demolishing and removing the triangular median at the base of the bridge (see picture below). 
In a letter to a local resident, Project Manager Chris Speese said, “Please be assured that FDOT is actively working with the Town of Fort Myers Beach staff to address these traffic issues where possible. Our construction personnel are evaluating various strategies to mitigate the impact on local traffic and improve flow during peak times. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to enhance this section of SR 865. Please feel free to contact me or Katelyn Carmona, Community Outreach Specialist (239-744-9192 or Katelyn.Carmona@dot.state.fl.us if you have any questions.”
We reached out to Carmona first thing Thursday morning to inquire what the FDOT fix would be moving forward. She never responded.
The entire project is expected to take 18 months and cost approximately $10 million. Get more details about the project from our previous coverage HERE.
One thing that causes problems during busy times is the deputy that crosses people at the crosswalk. If one person walks up to his crosswalk, he will stop the traffic for one person to cross. The crosswalk deputies do not help the flow at all. There is one guy, whom I think is a volunteer who really can get things backed up in no time. Also, guard rails, (like they have in Vegas) by Times Square would help. That way it would keep tourists from darting out and they would force them to be directed to the crosswalks.
This was a JOKE of a project with many obvious HUGE issues for 18 Months for what? Something that is sure to be outdated or failed because it’s a PUBLIC BOONDOOGLE – just spending cash.
Zero cost benefit analysis, zero answers at Town Council mtg , zero questions or concerns from TC.
Lee county job justification – Big Govt (doesn’t) Works at its best
Build a gondola system leaving the large empty at Pine Ridge Road and Summerlin Square Road and have it land on the beach. This alleviates traffic while still promoting tourism.
Build a gondola system leaving the large empty lot at Pine Ridge Road and Summerlin Square Road and have it land on the beach. This alleviates traffic while still promoting tourism.
Whoever can do whatever to the bridge but the bottom line is you can’t put 10 lbs into a 5 lb bag.There is only one lane each way in FMB
Make Crescent Street one way between Estero Blvd and Fifth Street. Remove the stop sign at the Fifth Street intersection to improve the flow of traffic leaving the island. The left lane of Crescent Street would be for traffic entering Margaritaville.
The solution to the traffic problem is not complicated. Lower the human density. As many others have commented, this barrier Island is very small. Prior to hurricane Ian the Island density was much too high. Traffic was horrible. We need to take advantage of post hurricane Ian to restore the Island population levels to something more tolerable. Yet city officials keep entertaining huge development projects. I only wish that the city council would prioritize resident homeowners interest over that of the developers.
I agree Bobby please if you could set an example and stop coming over the bridge.
I used to work for the DOT in another state and here is my suggestion.
and the cure to density is flow! Traffic can only turn right onto crescent, so pedestrian traffic should be encouraged to use the bridge to cross east and west (the least Margarita can do to help.) continue having pedestrian traffic cross north south across Cresent using the state law that traffic turning right must yield for pedestrians. this will be far less of a bottleneck then the light.
then traffic at crescent and 5th should have to yield to pedestrians and to vehicles turning right onto 5th. (You go Carol). Margaritaville has to do a better job of moving cars out of the valet area so that traffic doesn’t clog Cresent eastbound for the guests turning into the valet area. until construction prohibits, crescent can be closed west between 5th and estero allowing guest/valet traffic to queue there. traffic needing to go south on estero can use the turn lane at fifth and Estero to turn left to go southbound.
If you need charts and diagrams, I would be glad to provide.
These are just suggestions, and only positive comment should be made. Just trying to help the best island in the world to cope with modernization.
The MGVille bridge is already open to the public and highly encouraged. It was built for the public.
I agree Ann! No matter the number of bridges, it’s a density issue.
There are ONLY two solutions to the problem. 1. A mid island bridge that will never happen or 2. Restrict vehicle traffic to residents, overnight guest and construction workers, coming to or leaving the island. All other vehicle traffic restricted to public transportation like trolleys on Estero Blvd every 20 minutes both north and south and day use visitors required to park and ride from off island sites.
Drastic yes but what a unique community it would become with our transportation system becoming a draw rather than a draw back.
Isn’t that what the LeeTran Park and Ride is for? They need to promote those options more aggressively.
First time I heard this suggestion but kind of like it but will it kill our tourism and bleed out the ownership of businesses? Then guess who pays the lost revenues?
You can’t restrict publicly funded roadways to the public that pay for them. LOL
Forty darn years ago Ben Pratt, head of the county DOT, said infamously that
” Fort Myers Beach was an attractive nuisance ” and that putting in a mid-island bridge would only make things worse. Another alternative was proposed by Commissioner Roland Roberts to build a bridge/causeway to Estero to avoid encroaching on the new aquatic preserve. Sixty years ago I proposed a limited access causeway from Winkler road to the Williams Drive/Madera Drive property which was all undeveloped. The only response I got was “shut up kid”. I heard the same when I was telling people not to put asbestos water pipes under Estero Blvd., but then, what does a kid know. Well, all you freeholders and registered voters should have been paying more attention; you asked for it, now you got it.
Why can’t the eastbound Crescent “stop” sign be changed to a “yield” sign and the other two signs add “oncoming traffic does not stop” and “right traffic does not stop” signs? Yes, those people will have to wait for the light at Margaritaville to change to sneak through, but there are rarely any cars there while traffic is backed up onto Estero trying to get off island. Just my thoughts.
Reconsider the mid-island bridge!
🤦♀️
Where exactly across Estero Bay Preserve is a “mid-island bridge” going to go? And on which residential street should the bridge be placed?
It takes a lot of land for a bridge and I think you are right that are no open tracts of land. Eminent domain would be unpopular and expensive.
The valet parking and checkin situation for Mville was not well thought out. What happens during season when several cars are idling on Crescent, waiting to turn left into the garage. Checkin times will align with traffic leaving the Beach. Even before the detour, myself and several other cars had to pass in the oncoming left lane to get down Crescent or wait for who knows how long for Mville to process those in line.
Sprucing up the same area with crazy access roads won’t stop the constant congestion at the bottom of the bridge. This issue had been there long before the 20+ yrs that I have been going to FMB.The only way to ease this problem is to eliminate the traffic signals at the base of the bridge and move them a couple of blocks away to allow the cars a place to go instead of stopping everything.
Reconfiguring is not going to solve anything, except spend $$ and make life even more chaotic for several months !
Get real people – nothing is going to change – just moving the pieces in the same space.
Deal with the real issue – control the density, do not add to it !
I totally agree!