Cape Coral City Council signed off on two sidewalk construction projects last week — the latest in a series of projects the city has approved in an effort to make areas around schools more pedestrian-friendly.
These projects will add roughly five miles of sidewalks near the Mariner and Diplomat schools. Maureen Buice, a public information specialist with the city, said in a news release that FDOT is funding the two projects through grants.
Construction for the first project — sidewalks on the south side of Tropicana Parkway between Burnt Store Road and Chiquita Boulevard — is expected to begin in fiscal year 2019. Construction for the second project — sidewalks on both sides of Andalusia Boulevard between Diplomat Parkway and Pine Island Road — is expected to begin in fiscal year 2023.
City staff applied for the FDOT grants in 2012 and 2015, Buice said. The state awarded the city $125,000 for design and $1.4 million for sidewalk construction for Andalusia Boulevard, and $487,081 for sidewalk construction on Tropicana Parkway.
Both stretches of road are four-lane streets with grassy medians. Residents who live along those stretches said they're glad the area will be more pedestrian-friendly.
Ryan Nolan, who lives on the south side of Tropicana Parkway, said he sees a lot of kids walking from nearby Mariner High School and Mariner Middle School. Most travel through the grassy road median or through neighbors’ yards, he said, but some walk in the street.
He cited the death of a 12-year-old boy in 2016 who was hit by a pickup while riding his bike near Nolan's house on Tropicana Parkway.
“It’s definitely needed, for sure,” Nolan said. “There’s a lot of kids who walk home from school.”
Nolan said the street also needs better lighting, both for the students and neighborhood residents walking after dark.
Terri Creadon, who lives on Andalusia Boulevard, said sidewalks would be beneficial for the area. But even with the sidewalks, she said she still wouldn’t trust drivers on that street.
“It’s a terrible road,” Creadon said, adding that she opts to walk around her friend’s gated neighborhood instead of walking near her house.
Washington D.C.-based urban development nonprofit Smart Growth America ranked the Fort Myers/Cape Coral metro area the most dangerous for walking in the U.S. in 2016.
These two FDOT-funded sidewalk projects follow others Cape Coral has approved in recent months near the city's schools. Here's a rundown of some of those projects:
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