FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Andy Getch, Lee County Department of Transportation
                (941) 479-8510

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 24, 2001) – The Board of Lee County Commissioners will hold a ribbon cutting Wednesday (July 25) for the newly completed Hart Road Sidewalk Project in North Fort Myers.

The ceremony will be at 11 a.m. at Victory Baptist Church, 15880 Hart Road.

The 1.4-mile, $250,000 sidewalk along the east side of Hart Road extends from Bayshore Road (State Road 78) to Laurel Drive. The project culminates a six-year community effort by the Suncoast Neighborhood Task Force, the Lee County Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the North Fort Myers business community and individual property owners along Hart Road.

In September 1995, several representatives of the Suncoast Neighborhood Task Force made a formal request to the Lee County Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee for a sidewalk along Hart Road. The new sidewalk would connect to an existing bicycle path along Laurel Drive. In order for the project to be affordable, property owners along Hart Road would need to donate easements for the sidewalk.

A volunteer community effort was initiated by the Suncoast Neighborhood Task Force to obtain the donated easements and the east side of the road was selected for the sidewalk.

In December 1999, the Lee County Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee recommended approval of construction of the sidewalk and in March 2000 the Board of Lee County Commissioners authorized construction from the Victory Baptist Church to Laurel Drive. In March 2001, the BOCC authorized completion of the project south to Bayshore Road. The contractor, Gulf Paving, began construction in April 2001. Paved shoulders will be added along Hart Road later this summer.

Because of this large collaborative effort, all age groups now can walk along Hart Road safely, especially children going to and from school and seniors riding their bicycles.

Lee County allocates about $1.1 million a year for the construction of sidewalks and bikepaths. Currently, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee has outstanding requests for future projects of $18.6 million, which would build 47 miles of bicycle and pedestrian paths.

For more information about how to request that a project be considered for construction, contact Andy Getch at 479-8510.