Naples Pathways Coalition

What’s new in the County!

Naples Pathways Coalition is pleased to report that Norm Feder, Transportation Service Administrator, and Nick Casalanguida, Transportation Planning Director have “committed the transportation division to providing the residents of Collier County a first class network of sidewalks, bike lanes and multi-use paths”. Collier County Transportation working with the FDOT and Land Developers achieved a lot in the last year. This is a list of the pathways that have come together. 

Bike Lanes

This year several great new bike lanes opened! We now have bike lanes on Vanderbilt Beach Road from US 41 to Collier Boulevard (951). Vanderbilt Beach Road’s completion ties northern Collier County together, intersecting bike lanes on US 41, Livingston Rd, Oaks multi-use trail, Vineyards Blvd, the Logan Blvd Greenway and Collier Boulevard.

Collier Boulevard has new bike lanes from Golden Gate Blvd to Immokalee Road. The best part is the interconnection with Collier Blvd connecting Vanderbilt Beach Road to Immokalee Road bike lanes and to Golden Gate Boulevard bike lanes.

In July, the Collier Boulevard bike lanes, from US 41 to Davis Boulevard will be back in action.

Vanderbilt Drive south of Wiggins Pass Road has new multi-use pathway bridges and under construction a wider bike friendly bridge over the Cocohatchee River.

Greenways

Two new sections of the Collier Boulevard Greenway are built between US 41 to Davis Boulevard and Vanderbilt Beach Road to Immokalee Road. West of 951, Immokalee Road has a new greenway passing by the Heritage and Quarry developments. Collier County Transportation is working at getting the greenways connected too.  The Immokalee Road Greenway takes you from the Logan Boulevard Greenway to the Northbrook Drive Greenway and the Oaks Boulevard multi-use path. Plans are on the board for connecting the Collier Boulevard Greenway to the Immokalee Road east greenways but it may be a long wait until the Immokalee Road Greenway makes the connection west of Collier Boulevard.

Sidewalks

14,500 feet of new sidewalks have been retrofitted to existing roadway in Naples Manor and Immokalee. Both areas have walking / biking communities that will benefit with safe routes to school. Golden Gate Parkway has a new pedestrian bridge crossing the 55^th street canal. Vanderbilt Beach Road and Collier Boulevard North have new sidewalks for the entire project lengths.

Under construction Santa Barbara Boulevard will add bike lanes and sidewalks connecting Golden Gate Parkway to Rattlesnake Hammock Road and the bike lanes through Lely to US 41 East Trail.

Northeast Trail Study was adopted by the MPO at the April MPO meeting. This is a massive trail with 25 primary miles and 12 miles of alternate connectors. The trail connects Immokalee to Naples, Ft Myers and possibly Bonita Springs 

The trail study’s primary greenway trail continues the Immokalee Road Greenway from west of 951.  The trail parallels Immokalee Road to Oil Well Road, then parallels Oil Well Road past Ave Maria to Camp Kieis Road continuing north to Immokalee.

The study includes many additional segments and alternates. Segments will follow SR 29 and SR 82 to Lehigh Acres. Alternates may run greenways parallel to Immokalee Road connecting to Corkscrew Sanctuary and possibly following the future Little League Road extension.

The portion that passes by the Heritage and the Quarry Developments have already been built. The Oil Well Road section is projected to get started this year and continue to its completion as Oil Well Road is multi- laned. The overview of the study is available http://www.colliergov.net/Index.aspx?page=2453

Planned and funded projects

CMS-ITS Priority List 2009- 2013 as adopted by the MPO

$1,652,645 budget

4^th on the list: 41 & Pelican Bay Blvd north; install pedestrian crossing at a cost estimate of $100,000 with $900,000 of estimated jobs ahead on the list.

7^th on the list: bike lanes on SR 84, Davis Blvd., Santa Barbara Blvd. to Florida Club Circle and side walks from County Barn Road to Santa Barbara Blvd.  Cost estimate $800,000 with $1,751,000 ahead on the list so it may not happen until 2014.

PAC- TAC Pathway Priority list 2009-20013 for adoption in June

Budget $3,000,000

Over the years builders and developers have contributed to a Payment in Lieu fund when required sidewalks were not needed due to future construction or no connectivity. This fund will pay for 17 projects totaling over $3.5 million. Projects span across the county: Naples Park, Golden Gate, Immokalee, Manatee Road, Orange Blossom, Shadowlawn and the FPL Greenway.