Construction of new $85 million roadway east of SR 31 set to begin
Construction is set to begin on nearly 5 miles of new roadway road from Bayshore Road to Horseshoe Road/Lake Babcock Ranch parallel to SR-31 with an anticipated completion date in 2026.
The $85 million project came to fruition to address the capacity of SR-31 to accommodate increased growth of the area, and improve modal interrelationships and enhance regional connectivity, Florida Department of Transportation Project Team officials said.
“Building a new roadway allowed the existing FPL transmission lines to remain in place, and only required a small portion of the gas main to be relocated,” the team said. “Additionally, building a new roadway east of SR-31 requires less right-of-way acquisition.”
According to the Florida Department of Transportation Project Team, the Babcock Ranch Independent Special District and FDOT entered into the Increment 1 Amended Master Roadway Agreement on June 22, 2021.
“FDOT has statuary authorization to coordinate the planning, development, and operation of the state highway system. Therefore, the need for FDOT to work with the Babcock Ranch ISD was recognized early in the planning process for Babcock Ranch,” the team said.
The financial responsibility for the improvement falls on both ISD and FDOT, as they will work in a collaborative manner to ensure that the best improvements are delivered to the traveling public, officials said.
Construction will begin within the next month with the project in the final stages of design with the permitting process as of mid-August.
The 4.91 miles runs from SR 78, Bayshore Road in Lee County, to Horseshoe Road/Lake Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County.
The estimated project completion is winter 2026.
Babcock Ranch ISD is funding all aspects of the project – design, permitting, inspection, right-of-way, acquisition for the properties south of CR-78 and construction costs, FDOT officials said.
The project includes building a new four-lane roadway east of the existing SR 31 roadway that will tie into the existing two-lane roadway. Additional improvements to the project corridor include separate multi-use trail facilities along both sides of SR 31, lighting enhancements at all major intersections, and significant enhancements to stormwater facilities.
“This project is designed to enhance safety throughout the corridor. These enhancements include lowering the speed limit, separating northbound and southbound traffic with a median, shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists, and innovative intersections to improve the traffic flow and reduce conflict points,” the team said.
Although much of the work will take place east of the existing SR 31 roadway, traffic shifts, signage and message boards can be expected.
“The construction team will work with adjacent businesses and residents to ensure that access to all properties is maintained during the construction phase. Regular updates will be made to the project website and passthrough traffic will be alerted to changing conditions using message boards,” FDOT Project Team officials said.
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