Project to Enhance the Sidewalk and Roundabout on Oakes Blvd

Project to Enhance the Sidewalk and Roundabout on Oakes Blvd.

On Tuesday, March 21, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., there will be a public informational meeting about the Oakes Boulevard Sidewalk and Roundabout Enhancement Project. This project’s design is now at the 30% mark. A meeting in the open house format will be held at North Naples Baptist Church, 1811 Oakes Boulevard, Naples, with conceptual design presentations provided by the personnel of the Traffic Management Services Department and their design consultant.

Approximately two miles of Oakes Blvd two sides will have sidewalks. For the intersection of Oakes Blvd. and Spanish Oakes Lane, a roundabout is being explored in addition to the addition of a sidewalk.

Roundabouts are a type of traffic calming that helps to slow down traffic, improve safety on the road, lessen the impact on the environment, and improve comfort and mobility for non-motorized vehicle users like walkers and bicycles. As a result, neighborhoods become more livable and have better aesthetic qualities, less crime, and higher property prices.

The upgrades are being planned to improve mobility for bicycles and pedestrians along Oakes Blvd. and to increase safety. This project has received approval from the county’s Infrastructure Surtax Citizens Oversight Committee to receive county surtax funding. Around $418,000 of the design cost has already been covered. Since the project’s scope, including its particular alternatives, is still being established, the construction cost has not yet been calculated. At this open informational meeting, the design team intends to solicit feedback from local residents to help decide those items. The first half of 2024 might be the earliest that construction starts.

Visitors are invited to attend, view exhibits outlining the proposed project, and have one-on-one conversations with the county’s design team.