CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral is growing, and fast! Especially in the northwest, so the City is looking into ways to catch up. One idea they are throwing around, 27 new roundabouts!
Seven of them could be going on Old Burt Store Road.
The City of Cape Coral says they have not studied it yet but the goal of the roundabouts would be to make commutes flow better, and take roads like Old Burnt Store and make them safer.
Here are some of the areas they are looking at:
"People are speeding up here all the time because it's an alternative to get up to Punta Gorda, and there's a lot of construction dump trucks, and things of that nature, running up Old Burnt Store," said Mark Fry who lives on the road.
Watch Bella's full report below.
Some people I spoke with said they think it's a good idea for the future when the Seven Islands Project begins. That project will bring housing, a marina, and a fish house to the northwest Cape.
I reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation for some more insight into what roundabouts have done for other areas in Southwest Florida.
"They allow for continuous movement, which helps reduce congestion, especially during peak traffic hours," said David Scarpelli, a Communications Specialist for FDOT. "From a safety perspective, roundabouts reduce the likelihood of severe collisions"
But not everyone thinks they are needed right now.
"I don't really know if roundabouts are really going to do much for this specific road," said Ethan Balogh, who rides his bike along Old Burnt Store often.
Some don't think Cape Coral is ready for that change. As we all know, Southwest Florida is a melting pot of drivers.
"Roundabouts are based on mutual respect, which I'm not so sure that people from out of the Florida area, or people that come from the midwest that may not be familiar with roundabouts know exactly how to use," said Fry.
Scarpelli says it may have some growing pains but people will get used to driving them with time.
The City of Cape Coral told me the study to determine if roundabouts are the solution is expected to begin in the spring of 2025 and conclude that fall.
