Estero Village Council unanimously approved a $249,480 contract Jan. 3 with Johnson Engineering to prepare a new traffic study documenting how traffic has changed over the last six years and identifying areas in need of improvement.
Council ranked Johnson Engineering as the top firm to provide professional consulting services for a village-wide traffic study and authorized village staff to negotiate a contract Oct. 4, 2023. The contract has a $25,000 contingency for additional services that may be required to complete the study.
With development booming in the area in recent years, some residents have opposed new developments citing the threat of traffic congestion and community safety. Incorporated in 2014, Estero’s first village-wide traffic study was completed in 2017.
Village Manager Steve Sarkozy said the village operates utilizing a series of master plans, including bicycle/pedestrian, parks/open space and stormwater. The approved contract will provide an update to the village’s original transportation master plan, which was completed by Kimley-Horn planning and design consulting firm.
“It served us well, but of course traffic has changed,” Sarkozy said. “We need to fully update this project.”
The study will include an analysis of existing and future conditions of all major roadways and intersections.
The contract includes research, roadway and intersection traffic counts, traffic modeling, roadway and intersection analysis, agency coordination and a final report. In addition, the public will be permitted to contribute to the study.
The consultant will provide recommendations to address identified traffic issues and improve vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Vice Mayor Joanne Ribble and council member George Zalucki requested the study include intersections at Coconut Road and the Meadowbrook community, as well as the intersections at Corkscrew Road and Estero Crossing Boulevard and Bella Terra Boulevard. These intersections were added into the contract by vote Jan. 3.
Sarkozy said some traffic issues to be considered include 3,000 to 4,000 planned housing units in Estero that will impact the traffic system. Additionally, 26,000 housing units planned for East Corkscrew Road and 8,000 housing units planned on North Three Oaks Parkway outside of Estero also will be considered, since the roadways will all have an impact on the village’s traffic flow.
Considering the roads involve ownership of four separate jurisdictions, Sarkozy said the results of the study will be used to lobby and advocate for changes in the system.
While the study will be helpful to advocate for changes and improvements, Mayor Jon McLain said it isn’t an immediate fix to current problems.
Contract approval authorizes the village manager to sign the contract and other additional implementing documents within the scope of the contract on behalf of the village.
Traffic data will be obtained from January to March to ensure peak traffic is counted. Data collection is scheduled to be completed by April 26, with the final report scheduled to be completed in October.
“What will come back is a kind of ranking of projects that we need to try to maintain the best possible traffic movements in the community,” Sarkozy said.
There will be a category of needs identified before Council discusses top priority projects, with the data acting as a basis for decision making.
