Estero Village Council unanimously approved the consultants ranking for the Williams Road widening preliminary design and engineering project Wednesday morning. Approval authorized staff to negotiate a contract with top-ranked firm Kisinger Campo & Associates.

The capital improvement project will widen Williams Road from U.S. 41 east to the roundabout on Via Coconut Point. Currently a two-lane road, the project will convert the identified portion of Williams into a four-lane road.

The road segment is slated to be widened due to future development of the North Point property, north of Williams Road between U.S. 41 and Via Coconut Point.

North Point is a 100-acre property and the largest remaining developable parcel in the village, according to Village Manager Steve Sarkozy. “That will likely be a higher density, very large development,” he said of the property. “We’re trying to get out in front of the project coming in.”

Sarkozy anticipates project proposals coming from developers within the next six months.

“Then it’ll go through a review process for a year or so, but we need to get that road built and widened to accommodate that,” Sarkozy said.

The process of hiring a consultant began in January when the village advertised the project and received solicitations from three firms. Final rankings of the firm occurred April 3, with Q. Grady Minor & Associates and Kimley-Horn ranking second and third.

Since the village approved the ranking and authorized staff to negotiate a contract with the top-ranked firm, the next step is for staff to bring a negotiated contract back for final approval.

The project will also include improvements to entry points at the roundabout at Via Coconut Point and Williams Road. The timeline and funding of the project will be determined during negotiations.