A new roundabout could be coming to Sanibel at the Periwinkle Way and Causeway Boulevard intersection.
The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization has eyed the major intersection for over a decade, listing it as a top priority for design work in 2016.
The intersection is the first after exiting the Sanibel Causeway, and it currently operates as a four-way stop guided by aides from the Sanibel Police Department. With vehicles constantly moving on and off the island, traffic is easily congested.
In spring 2024, Sanibel contracted Kimley-Horn to conduct a traffic study on the intersection over a three year period, which discovered an average of 18,000 vehicles per day on the Sanibel Causeway.
Kimley-Horn presented recommendations to the Sanibel City Council on Aug. 20, 2024, which included a roundabout that would reduce crashes and delay.
In a city council meeting on Dec. 3, 2024, City Manager Dana Souza and Kimley-Horn presented an in-depth proposal for a two-lane roundabout. The proposal estimated an implementation cost from $3.5 million to $5 million.
The roundabout was discussed further in a March 3 city council meeting. Souza confirmed the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization awarded the city $160,000 in planning funds, and she proposed either a survey of the intersection with a conceptual design or a 30% design study that would cover public workshops, stakeholder meetings and traffic analysis.
The 30% design study, which would cost an estimated $160,000, would help with cost estimating and provide a more detailed layout of the project than a conceptual design would, according to Sanibel’s public information officer, Eric Jackson.
The Sanibel City Council unanimously approved a phased approach to the 30% design study that would first complete a topographic survey and overlay of the intersection. Findings will be presented to city council within the next couple months, and residents will vote on the roundabout, Jackson said.
The vote will determine whether the council will proceed with the full 30% design for the roundabout or search for other alternatives.
When approved for the 30% design study, projects typically move to 60% and 90% before completion, Jackson said.
Reach reporter Vanessa Norris by emailing vnorris@news-press.com
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel considers roundabout to ease its traffic nightmare. What’s the plan?
Reporting by Vanessa Norris, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vanessa Norris, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
