FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — After months of construction the new roundabout at the base of the Matanzas Pass Bridge officially opened Monday, bringing immediate relief to the notorious island traffic jams.
To see how effective the roundabout has been, Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent Anvar Ruziev took a firsthand look:
Driving during rush hour around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, we started from the Publix on Estero Boulevard and timed how quickly we could get off the island—a trip that historically took hours during peak season.
This time, the drive lasted just 11 minutes.
Visitors quickly noticed the improvement too. Samuel Dan arrived on the island Monday, the very day the roundabout opened. Dan described his commute since then as seamless.
"Traffic's very smooth. No issues whatsoever," Dan said.
But Kelly Sachtleben, who had arrived more than a week earlier, had a drastically different experience. She faced the full intensity of spring break traffic congestion.
"Since we've been here, we've probably had to wait a good hour or two just to go about three miles," Sachtleben said. "It's been pretty bad."
For locals like Peter Ganser, a driver with a golf cart taxi service on Fort Myers Beach, traffic isn’t just an inconvenience—it's his job.
Ganser explained that just before the roundabout opened, the congestion was so severe on Sunday that his company had to temporarily suspend operations after sitting idle in traffic for over two hours.
Now that the roundabout is in use, Ganser sees a notable difference.
"It's definitely traffic flowing much better," Ganser said. "They still need to complete some more, but since they opened it up, there's still traffic congestion, but at least you're moving."
Further improvements to traffic flow and public safety are on the way. On Tuesday, the Fort Myers Beach Fire District announced plans to occasionally close the outgoing lane of the Matanzas Pass Bridge, with assistance from Town Rangers, to allow emergency vehicles quicker passage off the island.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), some turning lanes on the new roundabout remain closed. FDOT anticipates opening those lanes in the fall of 2025, once the installation of traffic signals and signs is complete.
In the meantime, drivers should expect overnight lane closures to continue through Thursday night from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
