GRAPHIC PROVIDED Beginning Thursday, motorists will use the newly constructed segment of Littleton Road between Northeast 24th Avenue and Corbett Road. The intersection of Littleton Road and Northeast 24th Avenue will shift to the south at Kismet Parkway. New stop signs will be installed on Northeast 24th Avenue. Motorists traveling on Northeast 24th Avenue should be prepared to stop at the new intersection at Kismet Parkway and Littleton Road. Motorists traveling westbound Littleton Road to southbound Corbett Road must continue west on Littleton Road through the roundabout and make a U-turn before Northeast 24th Avenue to return east to Corbett Road.

Update:

The planned traffic shift on Littleton Road between Northeast 24th Avenue and Corbett Road has been rescheduled to early Monday morning, Sept. 28.

Original post:

Motorists who travel on Kismet Parkway onto Littleton Road every day will notice something a little different by the end of this week.

They will no longer have to take that quick left, then right, turn.

The Lee County Department of Transportation is making people aware of an upcoming traffic shift on Littleton Road between Northeast 24th Avenue and Corbett Road. 

Beginning Thursday morning motorists will use the newly constructed segment of Littleton Road between Northeast 24th Avenue and Corbett Road. The intersection of Littleton Road and Northeast 24th Avenue will shift to the south at Kismet Parkway, ending the need to make those quick turns.

“It looks like a normal intersection. What we’re doing to those roads are going to make things a lot safer,” said Jennifer Dorning,  project spokesperson.

New stop signs will be installed on Northeast 24th Avenue. Motorists traveling on Northeast 24th Avenue should be prepared to stop at the new intersection at Kismet Parkway and Littleton Road. 

“We’re going to have signs posted to stop ahead. People need to be aware because it’s a new movement, so we want to tell as many people as possible,” Dorning said.

Residences on Old Littleton Road will remain accessible from the new roadway.

This new segment includes a roundabout at the Littleton Road and Corbett Road intersection. The roundabout will partially open during this shift with temporary signals located at the roundabout entrances on eastbound Littleton Road, westbound Littleton Road, and northbound Corbett Road to control when vehicles enter.

Dorning said this is just temporary as work continues in the roundabout.

“We still have to do work in the roundabout and it will keep traffic in one segment and it will help them work. There are usually two lanes for cars entering and leaving the roundabout. Now, it will be one lane at a time,” Dorning said.

The traffic signals allow one movement at a time, allowing crews to continue work in the area. As work progresses, the signals will be removed. 

Dorning said roundabouts are preferred because you don’t have to worry about the other areas of traffic. You only have to look to your left.

Motorists traveling westbound Littleton Road to southbound Corbett Road must continue west on Littleton Road through the roundabout and make a U-turn before Northeast 24th Avenue to return east to Corbett Road. 

Crews continue work on Kismet Parkway, building the eastbound to northbound turn lane. During the next few months, the contractor will be completing roadway tie-ins, underground utility work, light pole installation, pond construction and sod.

The $2 million Littleton Road-Kismet Parkway realignment project is a joint venture between the Lee Board of County Commissioners and the city of Cape Coral and will be paid from impact fees and contributions from the city.

The construction project realigns Kismet Parkway and Littleton Road at Northeast 24th Avenue. The new intersection will be a four-lane divided roadway with streetlights at the intersection of Northeast 24th Avenue and at the roundabout.

There will be a 4-foot on-road bike lane on each side of the road. A 6-foot concrete sidewalk will be located on the north side of the new road with an 8-foot sidewalk located to the south of the new road.

The project is expected to be completed in mid-December.

The project to three-lane Littleton Road is still in the design phase. The 1.2-mile stretch would include two 11-foot travel lanes and one 12-foot bi-directional lane with on-road bike lanes and 6-foot sidewalks on both sides. A minimum right-of-way width of 92 feet is needed to accommodate these improvements.

That project, expected to be completed sometime in 2021, will cost around $14.2 million.