SWFL NowVERIFIED NEWS. LOCAL IMPACT.83°F in Cape Coral,Sunny · Cape Coral
The Southwest Florida stories that are too local, too early or too ongoing for the evening news.
FDOT is closing the northbound outside lanes and shoulder of Business U.S. 41 on the Edison Bridge in Fort Myers from 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, for bridge plate maintenance. The lanes should reopen by about 6 a.m. Tuesday; drivers should slow down and allow extra time, with live updates on FL511.
Source: WINK News (citing FDOT) and 1 more
The Florida Department of Transportation closed State Road 78 in the Ortona area of Glades County, between SR 29 and US 27, after floodwater covered the road on Sunday. FL511 still listed the closure Monday afternoon, and no reopening time has been given. Drivers should use other routes and stay out of standing water.
Source: Gulf Coast News and 2 more
Two Fort Myers residents, an 18-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, died after a crash on eastbound I-75 near mile marker 45 in Broward County about 9:53 p.m. Saturday, Florida Highway Patrol said. Troopers said their car left the road, hit a parked U-Haul truck on the shoulder and then struck an SUV, which overturned; two Port Charlotte residents in the SUV were hurt, one seriously. FHP has not released names or said why the driver lost control.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
Sanibel Public Works crews will spread mulch and refresh landscaping from Saturday, Nov. 7, through Friday, Nov. 20, weather permitting. The work covers planting beds along Periwinkle Way between the Lighthouse area and Tarpon Bay Road, along Palm Ridge Road and at city beach parks. The city expects only minor delays from deliveries and equipment and asks drivers to slow down near crews.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
Drivers on State Road 776 in Englewood say new concrete bike lane separators keep damaging tires, and some vehicles have needed tows after hitting them. An online petition asking for changes has thousands of signatures, its organizer says. FDOT has said the barriers meet its standards and that new medians and turn lanes are meant to cut crashes, but it had not answered follow-up questions.
Source: WINK News
Southwest Florida International Airport will run its RSWRemote lot on the north side of the airport from Nov. 23 to 29. Parking is a flat $60, must be reserved and paid in advance, and isn't refundable. Shuttles run to the terminal from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Nov. 23.
Source: Lee County Port Authority via Airport Improvement and 1 more
FDOT will fully close Pine Ridge Road under I-75 from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, to 6 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, for overhead sign work at the interchange, with detours via Immokalee Road and Golden Gate Parkway. The southbound I-75 off-ramp to Pine Ridge also closes tonight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.; I-75 stays open.
Source: @MyFDOT_SWFL and 4 more
FDOT says the I-75 southbound off-ramp to State Road 29 near Immokalee will close overnight Wednesday, Oct. 28, for paving, with a posted detour. The work is part of the SR 29 project south of I-75, where FDOT warns of nighttime ramp closures throughout construction.
Source: FDOT District One (@MyFDOT_SWFL and 1 more
FDOT held public hearings Oct. 27 in Naples and Oct. 28 online on proposed I-75 improvements between Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County and Alico Road in Lee County. Comments can still be sent through swflroads.com/project/452544-1, by email or by mail, and must be received or postmarked by Nov. 10 to enter the formal hearing record.
Source: FDOT District One and 2 more
Town of Fort Myers Beach staff fixing a water service line break at Lake Valencia Condominiums found a broken underground pipe, and erosion beneath the road opened a sinkhole near Bay Beach Lane and Estero Boulevard. Traffic leaving Bay Beach Lane is down to one lane, while Estero Boulevard itself is unaffected. The town reports no active leaks or water service interruptions; repairs were set to start Monday, Oct. 26, pending further assessment.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
Wednesday, November 11
Lee County will close the Midpoint Bridge from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, for the Midpoint Madness Veterans Day 5K Run/Walk, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Race activities are based at Royal Palm Square, 1400 Colonial Blvd., at the foot of the bridge. Drivers can use the Cape Coral Bridge or the U.S. 41 and Business 41 bridges; county message boards go up Nov. 2, and closure questions go to 239-533-9400.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
FDOT crews are repairing asphalt at the S.R. 45 (U.S. 41, Tamiami Trail) intersection with Burnt Store Road and Jones Loop Road in Punta Gorda. Expect northbound and southbound lane closures from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday night, Oct. 25, and Monday night, Oct. 26. The work is warranty repair by the contractor.
Source: FDOT District One and 1 more
A crash involving several vehicles closed all northbound lanes of I-75 near Exit 164 at Duncan Road, just south of the Peace River Bridge, on Saturday afternoon, WINK News reports. Northbound drivers were sent off the interstate at Duncan Road and told to expect delays. Injuries had not been reported in the coverage checked.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
Trucks over the posted weight limits on the State Road 29 drawbridge over the Caloosahatchee River in LaBelle still have to detour by way of State Road 78, US 27 and State Road 80; the base limit is 26 tons for single-unit trucks. In Clewiston, FDOT's US 27 improvement project from Industrial Canal to West Sagamore Avenue continues with sidewalk, lighting and utility work, bringing daytime and some nighttime lane closures. The state expects the project to wrap up in mid-2027.
Source: Lake Okeechobee News and 2 more
A 74-year-old Naples woman died after a three-vehicle crash just before 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on Immokalee Road at Esplanade Boulevard in Collier County. Florida Highway Patrol said the crash followed a lane change by a 17-year-old driver.
Source: Yahoo News (syndicated) and 1 more
Monday, November 2
Lee County plans to open the Three Oaks Parkway extension across the Fiddlesticks Canal to Daniels Parkway on Nov. 2, after a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting south of the new Fiddlesticks Boulevard intersection. The link gives drivers a north-south route parallel to I-75 from Collier County through Bonita Springs and Estero. The contract had allowed until mid-2028; remaining restriping and Daniels Parkway paving should wrap up in early 2027.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
The City of Cape Coral expected three through lanes in each direction to open by Oct. 23, weather permitting, on Cape Coral Parkway East between Coronado Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard. Parking will no longer be allowed on either side once the lanes open. Overnight paving and striping continue from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the project should finish in November.
Source: Cape Coral Breeze and 2 more
FDOT says drivers should expect daytime southbound lane closures on S.R. 29 (East Main Street) between 11th and 13th streets in Immokalee from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crews are working on poles on the south side of the road ahead of a planned roundabout.
Source: FDOT District One
Tuesday, October 27
The Florida Department of Transportation will hold an in-person public hearing Oct. 27 at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, 1225 Piper Blvd., Naples, with an open house at 4 p.m. and a presentation at 4:30 p.m., followed by a virtual hearing Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. The project would add capacity, including auxiliary lanes, on I-75 from north of Golden Gate Parkway to south of Alico Road. Comments for the hearing record are due Nov. 10; noise wall details will come later.
Source: Collier MPO and 3 more
Residents along Elmira Boulevard in Port Charlotte say speeding has become a safety threat after a neighbor's video showed a truck knocking down two mailboxes. They say children cross the street after school and people avoid walking or biking there, and they want speed limit signs posted. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says residents can report speeding concerns directly to the agency.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
The City of Punta Gorda is closing the downtown Herald Court Parking Garage beginning at 4 a.m. today for maintenance with reopening anticipated October 26.
Source: City of Punta Gorda and 1 more
A Mercedes-Benz was sandwiched in a three-vehicle crash on US-41 at Franklin Street; no injuries reported and road reopened.
Source: Gulf Coast News
