Action Alert: Attend Feb. 7th public hearing for Able Canal Pathway Project in Lehigh Acres

If you live, work, or play in Lehigh and support the proposed 5.5 mile pathway that will connect Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, to the Lehigh Acres Community Park and the Harnes Marsh, allowing residents and visitors to bike or walk between these popular destinations, now is the time to make your voices heard. This FDOT-funded project has been in the study/planning phases since 2013, and is now at the stage of a public hearing prior to approval of the location of the pathway along the canal and its conceptual design.  This is your chance to review the proposal and share your views with FDOT, Lee County, and MPO staff.

  It's important that pathway supporters attend this public hearing to show their support for moving forward to implementation of this important project.

Read  BWL's March 2017 blog post for background on the project and BWL's April 2018 blog for background on the open house to review alternatives under consideration.

 FDOT Press Release:

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, invites you to attend a public hearing for the Able Canal Pathway from Harns Marsh to Joel Boulevard (CR 884) project in Lee County, Florida. 

Public hearing:

• Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019
• Time: 5 p.m. Open house
•  6 p.m. Formal presentation and public comment period
• Location: Veterans Park Recreation Center
•  55 Homestead Road South
•  Lehigh Acres, FL 33936

Location of Able Canal Corridor

The proposed improvements consist of constructing a new shared-use pathway along the north side of Able Canal where there is currently no continuous path. This public hearing is being conducted to give interested persons an opportunity to express their views concerning the location, conceptual design, and social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed improvements.

Draft project documents will be available for public review from Thursday, January 17, 2019 to Monday, February 18, 2019 at the following locations: East County Regional Library, 881 Gunnery Road North, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971 and FDOT District One, Southwest Area Office, 10041 Daniels Parkway, Ft. Myers, FL 33913.

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by FDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. §327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.

FDOT solicits public participation without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. People who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Cynthia Sykes, District One Title VI Coordinator, at (863) 519-2287, or e-mail at Cynthia.Sykes@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the public meeting.

If you have questions about the project or scheduled public hearing, please contact Steven Andrews, Project Manager at (863) 519-2270 or by e-mail to steven.andrews@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the hearing. You can also visit the project website at www.swflroads.com/ablecanalpathway.

BWL letter to BoCC in support of Joel Blvd. "road diet"

BWL sent a letter to the Board of County Commissioners voicing its full support for the County's upcoming Joel Blvd. lane reconfiguration (known as a road diet), which is scheduled to be implemented as part of the regular resurfacing of this road in the Spring.  Road diets (along with roundabouts) are one of the best ways to improve the safety of all road users, esp. the most vulnerable.

 

Before and After photo of road diet

December 15, 2018

 

Dear Commissioners:

 

BikeWalkLee is a volunteer community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County and promoting policies that enhance the safety of Florida's roadways.  At a recent Community Traffic Safety Team (CTST) meeting, we became aware of LeeDOT’s planned new safety treatment on Joel Blvd. in Lehigh.  Given BikeWalkLee’s commitment to improving the safety of Lee County roadways, we wanted to voice our full support for the County’s scheduled Joel Boulevard lane reconfiguration (called a road diet), to be implemented in the Spring of 2019 as part of the regular resurfacing of this road.

 

As you know, for more than a decade, Lee County has consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous areas for pedestrians and cyclists both in Florida and nationwide, and Florida has ranked the most dangerous state in the country.  In the 2016 national “Dangerous by Design” report, Lee County was ranked as the most dangerous community in the country, demonstrating the urgent need for safety improvements on our roadways.  This road diet project is one way the County can demonstrate that it is taking action to turn around our “worst in the nation” ranking. 

 

We are pleased to see the County following through on the implementation of one of the elements of its 2010 Complete Streets Implementation Plan, developed to carry out the Board’s Complete Streets policy adopted in 2009.  A “road diet” (which typically entails converting an existing 4-lane road into two lanes with a center turn lane and bike lanes), is one of the key proven safety treatments promoted by FHWA and FDOT as part of its efforts to improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists who are the most vulnerable.

 

Road diets are proven to save lives by reducing the number of crashes by 20-50%; and by reducing speeds; the severity of the injuries is less, resulting in fewer fatalities.  This is particularly important for road users at the greatest risk—pedestrians and cyclists.   Safety is of paramount concern at the Joel Blvd. location, where 83 crashes have occurred over the past two years, six of which were fatal.  It is also an excellent choice for a road diet, given its current and projected vehicle volume loads.

 

One of the most cost effective ways to implement new complete street safety treatments is to incorporate them into the planning for road resurfacing.  We applaud the County for taking a holistic approach at this location, and urge you to make this a routine practice to integrate the complete streets and resurfacing planning in order to bring needed safety improvements on the ground faster and for much less cost than if done separately.

As with many safety improvements that are new to the public (e.g., road diets and roundabouts), there is often some opposition from residents and businesses when first proposed because it’s a change.  It’s clear from the research and reporting on the experiences of communities around the country that most public opposition is quickly forgotten after residents experience the new treatments and see the significant safety benefits associated with them.  It is important for our elected officials to stand by the importance of making safety of our roadways the top priority.

Thank you for making the safety of all road users, esp. pedestrians and cyclists, a top priority in your reconfiguration of Joel Blvd.

 Sincerely,

Dan Moser
On behalf of BikeWalkLee

 

 

 

Attend May 17th Open House re: Abel Canal Pathway Project

If you live, work, or play in Lehigh and support the proposed 5.5 mile pathway that will connect Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, to the Lehigh Acres Community Park and the Harnes Marsh, allowing residents and visitors to bike or walk between these popular destinations, now is the time to make your voices heard. This proposed FDOT-funded project has been in the study/planning phases since 2013, and is now at the stage that alternative locations and conceptual designs are available for public input.  It's important that pathway supporters attend this open house to show their support for moving forward to implementation of this important project.Read  BWL's March 2017 blog post for background.

FDOT Press Release 4/25/18________________________________________________________________
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will hold an Alternatives Public Meeting for the Able Canal Pathway PD&E Study from Harns Marsh to Joel Boulevard (CR 884) in Lee County, Florida. We invite you to attend the meeting anytime from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at the Veterans Park Recreation Center, 55 Homestead Road South, Lehigh Acres, FL 33936. The meeting will be held as an open house format with no formal presentation. A location map for the meeting is enclosed. FDOT will send notices to all property owners located at least 300 feet on either side of Able Canal within the project limits, as well as to public officials, regulatory agencies, organizations, and people interested in the project. People attending the meeting may review the proposed pathway alternatives under consideration and speak one-on-one with project team members. This meeting will give interested persons an opportunity to express their views concerning the location, conceptual design, and social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed improvements.

Build Alternatives for the proposed shared-use pathway include one option on the north side of the Able Canal, one option on the south side of the canal, and combination options (“hybrids”) of the north and south alignments. All Build Alternatives include a connection to Harns Marsh, located north of the Able Canal. The purpose of the pathway is to facilitate the use of viable, non-motorized travel options for commuters and recreational users in the Able Canal corridor and within the Lehigh Acres community, by providing connections between nearby residential areas and Lehigh Acres park facilities. The No-Build Alternative will remain a viable alternative throughout the study.

If you have questions about the project or scheduled Alternatives Public Meeting, please contact the Project Manager, Steven Andrews, at (863) 519-2270 or by e-mail to steven.andrews@dot.state.fl.us seven (7) days prior to the meeting. You can also visit the project website at www.swflroads.com/ablecanalpathway.

 

 Previous BWL Blog
March 10, 2017: Action Alert: Support the Abel Canal Trail project in Lehigh Acres

 

Homestead Road Groundbreaking Ceremony March 30

The Lee County Department of Transportation (LC DOT) and their contractor, Stevens and Layton, Inc., will begin construction at the end of March to widen Homestead Road to four lanes.

A Groundbreaking Ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 30, 10:00 a.m. at 55 Homestead Road South.

Homestead road will be expanded to a four-lane divided highway starting north of Alabama Road and ending around the curve just south of Sunrise Boulevard near the Moose Lodge, according to consultant Kris Cella of consulting firm Cella, Molnar & Associates.

Four-foot on-road bicycle lanes are included in the widening. A six-foot sidewalk will be constructed on both sides of the roadway.

image: homesteadroadwidening.com

The total Homestead Road project budget is $14.4 million, with $12.8 million coming from Lee County and $1.6 million coming from utility provider FGUA for utility construction.

According to Vince Miller of Lee County DOT, construction should be completed in 2019.

The Homestead road project will take approximately two and a half years (30 months) of construction time, according to Miller.



http://lehighacresgazette.info/news/homestead-road-widening-project-to-begin-march-20-and-last-30-months/

http://homesteadroadwidening.com/

Action Alert: Support the Able Canal Trail project in Lehigh Acres

If you live, work, or play in Lehigh and support the proposed 5.5 mile pathway that will connect Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, to the Lehigh Acres Community Park and the Harnes Marsh, allowing residents and visitors to bike or walk between these popular destinations, now is the time to make your voices heard. You are asked to sign a petition in support of the proposed project that will be transmitted to FDOT. Come out to the Lehigh Spring Festival March 10-19 to sign the petition, or read about how else you can sign on in support of this project.

History
The Lehigh Acres community, a sporadically developed 94-square miles area in the eastern part of unincorporated Lee County, is an underserved area for walking and biking accommodations and parks. Starting in 2008, the Lee County Parks and Recreation Department purchased on abandoned golf course and turned it into the Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, which opened at the end of 2013.  This Trailhead Park includes a half-mile paved multi-use trail that encircles a 3-acre replicated prairie. From the beginning, the County planned for this facility to function as a trailhead for a greenway corridor along Able Canal, with the first section of the greenway to connect Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park to Lehigh Acres Community Park and Harnes Marsh.

This plan was reflected in the County's Greenways and Trails Master Plan, which envisions a multi-purpose recreational trail system on the Able Canal right-of-way.  A portion of the County's Greenways Master Plan has now become part of the statewide SUN Trail system's planned Gulf Coast Trail. In 2013, FDOT funded a study of the proposed Able Canal Pathway, which is a 5.5-mile shared-use pathway proposed to run along the Able Canal right-of-way.  (See FDOT project description.)

 The FDOT project development and environmental study currently underway is scheduled to be completed by May 2018.  After the study is completed, the Lee MPO will consider requesting FDOT to fund the design and construction of the facility.  One factor that FDOT considers in determining whether to move forward with a state-funded project is whether it is supported by the community.  A new Lehigh group has formed --Able Canal Trail Ambassadors--which is gathering signatures on a petition in support of this project.

Project Description

The long term plan is for this 5.5 mile pathway to connect to the Gulf Coast Trail that will create a connected trail from Collier County in the south to Tampa Bay in the north that will bring bike tourism and its positive economic benefits to Lehigh, Lee County, and all of SWFL.
In addition to serving as a recreation opportunity, it will provide a critical connection between nearby residential areas and parks. Other amenities being considered are wayfinding signage, information kiosks, boardwalks and pedestrian bridges.

FDOT held a public kickoff meeting for the study on Dec. 15, 2016.  Those with concerns about the proposed pathway were the most vocal at the meeting, leaving the erroneous impression that the Lehigh community opposed the project. *
At the FDOT kickoff meeting, some residents who live close to the canal expressed fears that the proposed pathway could hurt property values and compromise safety.  These are common concerns expressed whenever trails are proposed in a community, but both concerns have been proven to be wrong by documented research on trails that have been constructed throughout the country.
Here are the facts:
1.  Crime:  Many adjacent landowners assume crime will go up if a trail is built.  In fact, those fears are unfounded.  As the Chief of Police said in one community: "..The trail has not caused any increase in the amount of crimes reported...We have found that the trail brings in so many people that it has actually led to a decrease in problems we formally encountered..."

2.  Property Values: Many adjacent landowners assume property values will go down if a trail is built.  In fact, the exact opposite is true. Homes near pathways and trails have an increased value of roughly $5,000 per home.  Paths are also smart economic bets because they attract millennials who want to live in walkable/bikeable communities.

3.  Opposition Turns to Support when Pathways Completed: Experience from communities across the country that have already put in trails demonstrates that most of the landowners who originally opposed the trail, become supporters and champions of the trail after it is completed, as they see the economic and quality of life benefits that they experience as a result of the trail.

Opportunity for Action

After the Jan. 10th article appeared in News-Press,  Lehigh residents in support of the project  organized a group called the Abel Canal Trail Ambassadors to demonstrate the community's support for the project.  As a first step in the process, the group is circulating a petition in support of the project throughout Lehigh  which will be presented to FDOT.   The kick-off to the petition drive will take place at the Lehigh Spring Festival March 10-19 at Veterans Park, 55 Homestead South, Lehigh Acres.   Look for the Kiwanis booth and a BikeWalkLee banner (see photo below) and stop by to sign the petition. 

Abel Canal Trail Ambassador at Spring Festival

  Other groups in Lehigh will be circulating the petition for signature, and if you'd like to circulate one in your neighborhood or organization, click here for the link to a petition form for you to use.

If you live, work, or play in Lehigh, and can't attend the Festival, there are several other ways to sign on.  

1. Print out the petition form, sign it and email it back to Robert Leap:  rjleap@yahoo.com. 

2.  Or you could write a personal email to Steve Walls (FDOT District 1, Fort Myers area Director expressing your support for the project: steve.walls@fdot.fl.us

Thanks to Robert Leap for organizing this effort.  For further information, contact him at:  rjleap@yahoo.com, or 814-279-8139.

PETITION IN SUPPORT OF ABLE CANAL TRAIL

We the undersigned support the construction of the Able Canal Pathway which will provide the residents of East Lee County and the Lehigh Acres community with a much needed recreational resource  that will connect the Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, the Lehigh Acres Community Pool, and the 578 acres Harnes Marsh preserve which is home to snail kites, limpkin and more than 140 species of animals.  The Pathway envisioned as a multi-use scenic trail will promote a healthy lifestyle and provide a safe non – motorized corridor for pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists and fitness enthusiasts. The Pathway is part of the State of Florida Greenways and Trails System. Once it is completed and is connected to other regional trails in SW Florida and in the rest of the state, it is envisioned that bicycle tourism will grow that will lead to small business growth and economic development in Lehigh Acres.

Other ways to show support:

· Write a letter to the editor (mailbag@news-press.com)
· Write your County Commissioners (Commissioner Mann represents District 5 (where Lehigh is located): dist5@leegov.com, 239-533-2225)
· Attend the next FDOT public meeting on the project. (No date yet)

BikeWalkLee will provide information about the next public meeting as soon as it is available.

*Links to background articles:

·         News-Press Jan.10, 2017: "Some Lehigh residents fear bike path could hurt property values" by Bill Smith

·       Dan Moser's Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, 2/15/2017  "Support is needed for four Southwest Florida outdoor projects "

BikeWalkLee commentary: "Tale of two different cities on safe The News-Press, 2/28/2017 by Ken Gooderham

Links to learn more about the benefits of Trails:

Crime, Property Values, Trail Opposition and Liability Issues (PowerPoint) 

More resources on the benefits of trails available from the national Rails to Trails Conservancy.

Also see the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation website.

Report by Darla Letourneau

BWL Column: Complete streets can help complete communities

BikeWalkLee's bi-weekly News-Press column this week features the complete streets planning underway in Lehigh Acres.  The info box highlights what else is happening in Lee County on the complete streets front--the Tampa Summit and the NCSC report.  

News-Press Apr. 18, 2013

More information

Elsewhere on the complete streets front, Lee County’s efforts and policies were in the spotlight at last week's USDOT Bicycle Safety Summit in Tampa hosted by Secretary Ray LaHood. County sustainability director Tessa LeSage was one of the speakers, highlighting how safety can be improved by how we plan and build the environment – and how the county’s complete streets program helps us do that. Also, in a recent report from the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America, Lee County ranked second in the state (behind Winter Park) for its complete streets policies. Overall, in just four years Florida has gone from six communities with complete streets policies to 32.

Can a complete street help complete a community? A planning effort to change the face of Lehigh Acres is showing the way.

At 96 square miles and more than 120,000 lots, Lehigh Acres is struggling to make the transition from platted-land suburb to stand-alone and sustainable community – and, in the process, has to overcome some flaws in its original design made glaringly clear by growth. One of those is the need for the infrastructure necessary to evolve into a full-fledged community, which includes directing growth and creating more urban activity centers that would move away from sprawl and toward a commercial core that mixes in residential and recreational needs.

Plans for these activity centers (created by local planning wizards at EnSite) include multi-use designs integrating commercial and residential, re-routing traffic flow to allow for “through” as well as “to” movement; and designing a streetscape that’s more inviting to businesses and pedestrians alike. That’s where complete streets come into play.

Buildings are closer to the street to create intimacy, with on-street parking to calm traffic and parking garages to handle quantity. Sidewalks, bike lanes and dedicated public spaces make this far more pedestrian- and bike-friendly than the current road system – and having people living over the commercial areas ensures street-level activity after business hours and on weekends.

“Mixed-use development focuses community at the street level, where businesses thrive, people interact with one another and gathering spaces become the heart of the community,” said planner Shellie Johnson with EnSite. “Complete streets form the basis for being able to achieve this mix of economy, community and environment.”

It may be many years before Lehigh is actually home to the 350,000 people projected to live there someday but, by designing these activity centers and implementing other planning corrections to promote complete streets and a sustainable community, the community will be better equipped to handle this growth when it inevitably occurs.

“The planning and design study currently under way will provide the county with a master plan of infrastructure needed to support the redevelopment effort,” said Johnson “It will be an important tool in the planning and capital improvement scheduling for many years to come. Once completed, the county will be able to identify phases of redevelopment that can be implemented as budgets allow.”

— BikeWalkLee is a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County — streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at BikeWalkLee.org.

BikeWalkLee and Complete Streets featured in Lehigh meeting

Thanks to the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Panel (LACPP) for inviting BikeWalkLee to make a presentation on the value of complete streets for their community.  LACPP has joined BWL as a supporter organization!

On Wednesday, Oct 10^th, several  members of BWL attended the regular monthly meeting of the Lehigh Community Planning Panel to discuss BikeWalkLee's mission, it's coalition approach and the benefits of collaboration.  This was followed up with a power point presentation of complete streets principals in action, illustrating the potential to strengthen and improve communities.

Darla Letourneau related the origins of BikeWalkLee and its coalition of supporter organizations focused on advocacy for a multi-modal network of safe, active transportation options along completed streets in Lee County.  With these 42 supporting organizations, BWL works to raise awareness about the County’s transportation system, leverage opportunities for improvement and develop pathways to overcome obstacles to improvement. 

BikeWalkLee's Ann Pierce gave a power point presentation on complete streets, conveying the underlying precepts and the natural extensions of complete streets philosophy and practice.  She pointed out that the streets of our cities and counties must serve everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider and business owner. Too many of our streets are designed only to speed cars from one point to another. These enormously expensive, often overbuilt roads are too wide, too fast, too dangerous for alternative transport users and detrimental to local businesses.  

BikeWalkLee's presentation pointed out that across the country the independent concepts of complete streets, compact communities and conservative fiscal management are converging in a call for complete communities.  In complete communities  land use, transportation, safety, health,  and economic planning are assessed and implemented as parts of the same whole, with a recognition of the impacts, intended or otherwise, that each has upon the other.   

 After hearing the presentation, the Lehigh Community Planning Panel voted to become a BikeWalkLee supporter organization to further efforts “to improve the quality of life through safety, health and mobility on complete streets in Lee County."  They are joining  42 other organizations that are part of BikeWalkLee's coalition. The Planning Panel suggested several other Lehigh groups that would be similarly interested.  The Panel closed by thanking BikeWalkLee and stating that they now truly understood the complete streets concepts and the vast potential in their community redevelopment plans.

BikeWalkLee steering committee members are available to introduce the concepts of complete streets and complete communities throughout Lee County.   If your group is interested in such a presentation, contact: info@bikewalklee.org.

Report by Ann Pierce

Lee County Commission moves forward on construction of Lehigh roundabout

 At the Oct. 9th BoCC meeting, the Board approved LeeDOT's request to proceed with the planned construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Beth Stacey Blvd. and Business Way in Lehigh Acres.

 News-Press also covered story. 

BikeWalkLee representative Ann Pierce spoke in support of the roundabout, along with a representative of the Lehigh Economic Development group.

This proposal is consistent with other components of the new redevelopment plan that has been created for Lehigh:

·       with roundabouts along Homestead Ave

·       to both calm and slow traffic while accommodating flow and volume

·       And, do so in a manner that is supportive of business development, and revenue generation.

1.   Ms. Pierce presented data that roundabouts are quite simply the safest of all possible intersection designs with dramatic reductions in accident and all serious injuries.

2.   

     She also presented the graph below, showing that although there is often significant initial community resistance to new roundabouts, what results is an equal or greater appreciation for them after  their installation and use.

Roundabouts also provide significant long-term equipment and maintenance cost effectiveness and reductions in pollution and fuel use. 

 Commissioner Judah applauded the Lehigh community for leading the county's move in this new direction, and said he hopes to see more roundabouts throughout the county.  He also thanked BikeWalkLee and the County's Sustainability Director, Tessa LeSage, for their advocacy and collaborative efforts in support of roundabouts and other transportation and sustainability-related innovations.