Artist's concept of I-75 toll gantry.
FORT MYERS – Cape Coral/Fort Myers and Naples/Marco Island were ranked in the top ten fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country from April 2000 to July 2006 (United States Census Bureau). With growth increases of 29.6 and 25.2 percent, respectively, Cape Coral/Fort Myers was ranked number three and Naples/Marco Island came in at number seven.
The University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research (Population Studies, February 2007) predicts that by 2010, Lee and Collier counties population will grow by 16 percent and continue to grow by an additional 16 percent by 2015. Southwest Florida continues to grow faster than any other area in the State of Florida. The impact of this phenomenal growth to the region’s transportation system has the departments of transportation for Lee and Collier Counties, and their associated cities, rushing to improve local roadways. Interstate 75 has also felt the impacts, it is a heavily congested highway shared by mostly local commuters (about 85 percent of the trips), long-distance travelers (about 15 percent) and freight trucks. A group of citizens championed the formation of the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority to try to solve the impact of this growth on the region’s Interstate system. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples, the legislation creating the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority was signed by Governor Jeb Bush on June 8, 2005. The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority consists of seven voting members from Lee and Collier Counties and one non-voting member (Florida Department of Transportation District One Secretary).
In 2003, the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) approved a plan to widen Interstate 75 to ten lanes in portions of Collier and Lee Counties. The ten lanes include “general purpose” lanes, operating much as the existing lanes do today, as well as lanes for express traffic. The plan calls for phased construction of the new lanes. Under phase one, the Florida Department of Transportation plans to construct one new lane in each direction from Golden Gate Parkway to Colonial Boulevard . Each new lane would be constructed to the inside of the existing lanes in the median. Construction is scheduled to start in May this year and be complete by late 2010. A total of $470 million in State and Federal dollars is budgeted for the project. Results from the traffic study performed by the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority’s consultant concluded that when the two new lanes open in 2010 some sections of I-75 will experience Levels of Service E, which is below the regionally adopted Levels of Service for I-75. This means motorists will travel at speeds below the posted speed limits and experience frequent “stop and go” traffic. The situation will continue to deteriorate over time. Two separate traffic studies indicate that by 2015, much of I-75 between Immokalee Road and Colonial Boulevard will experience unacceptable Levels of Service. Conventional state and federal funding sources will not be available through at least 2030 to widen I-75 beyond the currently planned expansion to six lanes. Unless some alternative funding source such as tolls is used, Southwest Florida motorists will experience unacceptable congestion and delays on I-75 for at least two decades.
The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority has studied several alternatives for adding the express toll lanes with the intent of providing additional capacity many years, perhaps more than a decade, ahead of when these lanes would be in place if tolling were not an option. The express lanes concept will provide the motorists that use I-75 in Collier and Lee Counties the option to travel in free lanes to get to their destination or to pay a toll and use less congested lanes to get there quicker. This concept provides additional capacity and provides a mechanism to fund future expansions much sooner than through conventional state and federal funding. The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority consultant is recommending that the two new inside lanes be tolled upon completion. This would start a revenue stream that would allow the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority to finance an additional five miles of the six-laning project and provide interchange improvements to Daniels Parkway, a key interchange for the Southwest Florida International Airport. The revenue stream would also allow the Expressway Authority to immediately begin the design, finance and construction process to further accelerate building the ultimate 10 lane section.
Public Involvement Program Underway
Public input and support is essential for the advancement of the 10-laning of I-75. The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is conducting a public involvement program to provide information about the I-75 Express Toll Lanes concept and to receive input from Southwest Florida citizens. This program includes presentations to over 50 civic groups and chambers of commerce. Please visit the project web site at www.SWFEA.net or contact Kris Cella, Cella Molnar & Associates, Inc. at kcella@cella.cc to learn more about the Express Toll Lanes concept, participate in a questionnaire or request a speaker for your group.
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