Concerns voiced by the Burnt Store Corridor Coalition were answered when a 5-1/2 mile section of road that expands from the Charlotte County line to Lee County was paved, now providing a safer evacuation route during a hurricane.

“A paving crew was resurfacing that area of Burnt Store Road on Aug. 13. I was happily surprised that the first section of the road had been completed so quickly, and the rest would be done shortly, prior to the height of our hurricane season,” said Germaine Hyatt, Lee County, BSCC representative.

BSCC Chair John Fleming said the 5-1/2 mile stretch that goes from Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County to Van Buren Parkway in Lee County is the only part of the road that has not been widened yet. He said that part of the road has deteriorated very quickly.

“When it rains really bad, it floods out a lot,” Fleming said.

When Hurricane Ian came there was some sort of confusion of where it was going to hit, and the road became congested with people from Cape Coral heading north and the road beginning to flood.

According to county staff, that section of the road was showing signs of deterioration based on a countywide review of roadway pavement conditions. Due to no funding in place in the next five years for the four-lane of Burnt Store Road, resurfacing was addressed in the interim.

“Resurfacing of Burnt Store Road will provide a safe and efficient roadway for the area residents,” said Lee DOT Director Rob Price in an email. “We also went out in advance of the resurfacing and rebuilt some of the shoulder areas that were showing signs of wear and tear. Drivers should see improved pavement conditions and shoulder conditions along this stretch of the roadway.”

BSCC went to Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane to seek help, as they wanted to see improvements to the road before the height of hurricane season got underway.

“Meeting with the Burnt Store Road Coalition was timely,” Ruane said in an email. “Through that discussion, the Coalition brought forward problems with Burnt Store Road from Charlotte County to Van Buren Parkway. I was happy to bring to fruition the paving of that 5-1/2 mile stretch of Burnt Store Road to make it safer for our residents who travel Burnt Store Road daily.”

The resurfacing contract was $1,058,414.

“He found that money and got it done for us,” Fleming said. “Rob Price made it a priority on the worklist. He did a major thing. They got it done on time.”

He said now if a hurricane impacts the area people can be rest assured – they can use the road without any puddling, ponding or standing water.