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The Future of I-75

special feature

Business Currentsw w w . n a p l e s c h a m b e r . o r g

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The Future of

I-75By Rob Esmond

How many lanes are needed, by when, and who will pay?

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)(Cover Story

Just as clear, unclogged arteries are vital to the overall health of the human body, clear, unclogged roads are vital to the economic health of any region. These important streets and highways link communities and cities together, promote the flow of goods and services among

businesses, and allow the area’s workforce to commute to and from their jobs.

In Lee and Collier Counties, Interstate 75 is the vital north-south artery that is relied upon by tens of thousands of motorists every day. Statistics show that in addition to freight trucks, 85 percent of the trips on I-75 are made by local commuters, and 15 percent by long-distance travelers.

As anyone who travels I-75 on a regular basis can attest, the health of this artery is not always good. Even during the off-season, the Interstate can experience traffic congestion and slow driving speeds. One bad accident can bring traffic to a standstill for hours, and force cars and trucks to divert to other roads, causing additional traffic jams.

“I-75 is the transportation aorta of this community,” says Jeff Fridkin of Grant, Fridkin, Pearson, Athan & Crown, P.A., and the chairman of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors. “When it clogs, it brings our entire region to a halt. We must take all steps necessary to allow the free-flow of this essential transportation artery.”

In some respects, Southwest Florida is a victim of its own success. The area’s warm weather, beautiful beaches, outdoor activities, and quality of life have been attracting people in huge numbers in recent years. According to the United States Census Bureau,

the Cape Coral/Fort Myers metropolitan area was the third-fastest growing in the nation from April 2000 to July 2006, with a population increase of 29.6 percent. The Naples/Marco Island was ranked seventh in the nation, with an increase of 25.2 percent.

These trends will continue well into the foreseeable future, according to a recent population study by The University of Florida’s Bureau

of Economic and Business Research. It predicts that by 2010, Lee and Collier County’s population will grow by 16 percent. In the 20-year period between 2010 and 2030, projections indicate the population of Lee County will increase from 573,000 to 852,000 people, while Collier County will grow from 363,000 to 599,000.

These new residents will rely on the existing roads just as motorists do today, and contribute to ever-increasing traffic counts.Recent surveys have shown that on the busiest days, drivers currently make 86,000 trips on I-75. That figure is expected to increase to over 125,000 trips per day by 2015 on the section of highway from Southwest Florida International Airport to Immokalee Road. By 2030, an estimated 140,000 to 144,000 trips are expected between Bonita Beach Road and Corkscrew Road, which will overwhelm the capacity of a six-lane highway.

It’s also becoming more and more dangerous to travel on I-75. Annual crash data reveals that in the five-year period from 2001 to 2005, accidents increased from 345 to 441, and

The Future of

I-75

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cover story

fatalities rose from 16 to 21.One nightmare scenario involves traffic backed

up on I-75 during an emergency situation, such as a hurricane that is forecast to hit Southwest Florida.Ideally, it currently takes 72 hours for a complete evacuation of Collier County, according to Chief Tom Storrar, task force chief of the Southwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force. Given the unpredictability of the storms, however, there can be as little as 48 hours to get people out of the path of the storm.

“The goal for evacuation is to have everyone off the road at the onset of tropical storm force winds arriving in Collier County,” Storrar says. “If you need 72 hours to evacuate the county and only 48 hours is given to evacuate, we have a problem.”

Police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are all subject to heavy traffic on I-75, which can delay response times when these critical services are needed.

“I travel from Bonita Beach Road to SR 951 every day,” says J. Michael Mastej, chief executive officer of the new Physicians Regional Medical Center on Collier Boulevard. “The smallest altercation creates havoc. My frustration on long commutes home is one thing; loss of lives is a whole different story.”

The Interstate is also vital to bring these caregivers to their jobs each day, along with thousands of workers is other occupations.

“I-75 is traveled daily by one quarter of our hospital employees who commute between Collier and Lee Counties,” says Geoffrey D. Moebius, chief executive officer of Physicians Regional Medical Center - Pine Ridge. “This fact is a small piece of the big picture when you consider the importance that one road has over our region’s economic growth and well-being.”

Some relief to the overcrowding on I-75 has begun. A plan approved by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 2003 called for one additional lane to be added in each direction to a 30-mile stretch

of highway from Golden Gate Parkway to Colonial Boulevard. This initial phase, budgeted to cost $470 million in State and Federal funds, started in May.

By the time the construction of these additional lanes is

completed in late 2010, however, traffic studies suggest that the impact will be minimal. Service on I-75 in this area is projected to be rated at Level E, which is well below regionally acceptable standards. Even with the new lanes, motorists will still continue to experience delays and reduced speeds.

Once the first two lanes are complete, future phases of the FDOT plan call for additional widening of

I-75 to ten lanes in portions of Collier and Lee Counties, including both general purpose lanes and lanes designated for express traffic.

However, state and federal government officials have indicated that conventional funding for these additional lanes will not be available until after 2030. Given that the population of Southwest Florida is projected to reach 1.5 million by then, it is becoming increasingly clear to local government officials, business leaders, and citizens that solutions will need to be found to address the situation much sooner than that.

“We must resist the tendency to delay improvements when we know they will cost more later,” says Dave Weston, chair of the Collier Business Political Action Committee, a coalition sponsored by Collier Building Industry Association, Naples Area Board of Realtors, and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. “We must insist our elected officials be forward thinking and take aggressive steps to provide a functioning I-75.”

Currently, some of Southwest Florida’s most vigorous debates swirl around the most effective methods of widening I-75, the timing of the projects, and who should pay for them. One organization that has been studying the problem is the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority (SWFEA), which was created in June 2005 when Governor Jeb Bush signed legislation sponsored by State Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples. SWFEA is comprised of seven voting members from Lee and Collier Counties, and one non-voting member, the Florida Department of Transportation District One Secretary.

According to a statement released by SWFEA, the organization

Visit Us Online at www.napleschamber.Org I BusIness Currents I JUlY 2007 ��14 JULY 2007 I BusIness Currents I Visit Us OnLine at www.napLeschamber.Org

cover story

fatalities rose from 16 to 21.One nightmare scenario involves traffic backed

up on I-75 during an emergency situation, such as a hurricane that is forecast to hit Southwest Florida.Ideally, it currently takes 72 hours for a complete evacuation of Collier County, according to Chief Tom Storrar, task force chief of the Southwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force. Given the unpredictability of the storms, however, there can be as little as 48 hours to get people out of the path of the storm.

“The goal for evacuation is to have everyone off the road at the onset of tropical storm force winds arriving in Collier County,” Storrar says. “If you need 72 hours to evacuate the county and only 48 hours is given to evacuate, we have a problem.”

Police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are all subject to heavy traffic on I-75, which can delay response times when these critical services are needed.

“I travel from Bonita Beach Road to SR 951 every day,” says J. Michael Mastej, chief executive officer of the new Physicians Regional Medical Center on Collier Boulevard. “The smallest altercation creates havoc. My frustration on long commutes home is one thing; loss of lives is a whole different story.”

The Interstate is also vital to bring these caregivers to their jobs each day, along with thousands of workers is other occupations.

“I-75 is traveled daily by one quarter of our hospital employees who commute between Collier and Lee Counties,” says Geoffrey D. Moebius, chief executive officer of Physicians Regional Medical Center - Pine Ridge. “This fact is a small piece of the big picture when you consider the importance that one road has over our region’s economic growth and well-being.”

Some relief to the overcrowding on I-75 has begun. A plan approved by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 2003 called for one additional lane to be added in each direction to a 30-mile stretch

of highway from Golden Gate Parkway to Colonial Boulevard. This initial phase, budgeted to cost $470 million in State and Federal funds, started in May.

By the time the construction of these additional lanes is

completed in late 2010, however, traffic studies suggest that the impact will be minimal. Service on I-75 in this area is projected to be rated at Level E, which is well below regionally acceptable standards. Even with the new lanes, motorists will still continue to experience delays and reduced speeds.

Once the first two lanes are complete, future phases of the FDOT plan call for additional widening of

I-75 to ten lanes in portions of Collier and Lee Counties, including both general purpose lanes and lanes designated for express traffic.

However, state and federal government officials have indicated that conventional funding for these additional lanes will not be available until after 2030. Given that the population of Southwest Florida is projected to reach 1.5 million by then, it is becoming increasingly clear to local government officials, business leaders, and citizens that solutions will need to be found to address the situation much sooner than that.

“We must resist the tendency to delay improvements when we know they will cost more later,” says Dave Weston, chair of the Collier Business Political Action Committee, a coalition sponsored by Collier Building Industry Association, Naples Area Board of Realtors, and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. “We must insist our elected officials be forward thinking and take aggressive steps to provide a functioning I-75.”

Currently, some of Southwest Florida’s most vigorous debates swirl around the most effective methods of widening I-75, the timing of the projects, and who should pay for them. One organization that has been studying the problem is the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority (SWFEA), which was created in June 2005 when Governor Jeb Bush signed legislation sponsored by State Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples. SWFEA is comprised of seven voting members from Lee and Collier Counties, and one non-voting member, the Florida Department of Transportation District One Secretary.

According to a statement released by SWFEA, the organization

Visit Us Online at www.napleschamber.Org I BusIness Currents I JUlY 2007 15

was created “with the sole purpose of advancing construction of additional tolled lanes on I-75 in Collier and Lee Counties.” It joined with the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) on a study of adding lanes to expand I-75, some of which would be tolled.

The study concluded that “the required configuration to generate enough toll revenue to finance and best serve future traffic is four, general-purpose (non-tolled) lanes on the outside, and six tolled express lanes on the inside. This configuration will allow drivers a choice to travel in the four general purpose (non-tolled) lanes or pay a toll to travel in the six express lanes. The express lanes will also help relieve traffic congestion in the general purpose lanes.”

Under the SWFEA plan, tolls would be collected electronically, as they are on other highways in Florida. There would be no tollbooths on the Interstate.

One idea being studied by SWFEA and FTE involves expanding the busiest section of I-75, from Immokalee Road to Alico Road, to ten lanes by 2015. The two new inside lanes could be tolled as soon as they are completed, which would generate finances to allow the SWFEA to construct the additional four lanes in this section.

Other suggestions include using portions of the toll revenue to expand I-75 to six lanes from Colonial Boulevard to

SR 80, improve the Daniels Parkway interchange, and provide for “quick response” tow trucks to deal with traffic accidents in any lane.

While the SWFEA has made recommendations to improve I-75, its board has not yet made any decisions or endorsed any of them. However, the organization concluded

that “unless some alternative funding source such as tolls is used, Southwest Florida motorists will experience unacceptable congestion and delays on I-75 for at least two decades.”

Another organization which is dedicated to finding new funding sources and creative solutions to local traffic problems is the Southwest Florida Transportation Initiative (SWFTI), a public-private partnership composed of local business and community members. The group, which has been endorsed by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, area chambers of commerce, economic development councils and

industry associations, is advocating the expansion of I-75 to six lanes throughout Southwest Florida.

SWFTI has worked with transportation professionals, and has researched the efforts of similar private sector initiatives in high growth areas statewide. Its members are working to insure that key leaders in the local, state, and

“We must resist the tendency to delay

improvements when we know they will

cost more later,” says Dave Weston, chair of the

Collier Business Political Action Committee, a

coalition sponsored by Collier Building Industry

Association, Naples Area Board of Realtors,

and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.

“We must insist our elected officials be forward

thinking and take aggressive steps

to provide a functioning I-75.

“

14 JULY 2007 I BusIness Currents I Visit Us OnLine at www.napLeschamber.Org

cover story

fatalities rose from 16 to 21.One nightmare scenario involves traffic backed

up on I-75 during an emergency situation, such as a hurricane that is forecast to hit Southwest Florida.Ideally, it currently takes 72 hours for a complete evacuation of Collier County, according to Chief Tom Storrar, task force chief of the Southwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force. Given the unpredictability of the storms, however, there can be as little as 48 hours to get people out of the path of the storm.

“The goal for evacuation is to have everyone off the road at the onset of tropical storm force winds arriving in Collier County,” Storrar says. “If you need 72 hours to evacuate the county and only 48 hours is given to evacuate, we have a problem.”

Police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are all subject to heavy traffic on I-75, which can delay response times when these critical services are needed.

“I travel from Bonita Beach Road to SR 951 every day,” says J. Michael Mastej, chief executive officer of the new Physicians Regional Medical Center on Collier Boulevard. “The smallest altercation creates havoc. My frustration on long commutes home is one thing; loss of lives is a whole different story.”

The Interstate is also vital to bring these caregivers to their jobs each day, along with thousands of workers in other occupations.

“I-75 is traveled daily by one quarter of our hospital employees who commute between Collier and Lee Counties,” says Geoffrey D. Moebius, chief executive officer of Physicians Regional Medical Center - Pine Ridge. “This fact is a small piece of the big picture when you consider the importance that one road has over our region’s economic growth and well-being.”

Some relief to the overcrowding on I-75 has begun. A plan approved by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 2003 called for one additional lane to be added in each direction to a 30-mile stretch

of highway from Golden Gate Parkway to Colonial Boulevard. This initial phase, budgeted to cost $470 million in State and Federal funds, started in May.

By the time the construction of these additional lanes is

completed in late 2010, however, traffic studies suggest that the impact will be minimal. Service on I-75 in this area is projected to be rated at Level E, which is well below regionally acceptable standards. Even with the new lanes, motorists will still continue to experience delays and reduced speeds.

Once the first two lanes are complete, future phases of the FDOT plan call for additional widening of

I-75 to ten lanes in portions of Collier and Lee Counties, including both general purpose lanes and lanes designated for express traffic.

However, state and federal government officials have indicated that conventional funding for these additional lanes will not be available until after 2030. Given that the population of Southwest Florida is projected to reach 1.5 million by then, it is becoming increasingly clear to local government officials, business leaders, and citizens that solutions will need to be found to address the situation much sooner than that.

“We must resist the tendency to delay improvements when we know they will cost more later,” says Dave Weston, chair of the Collier Business Political Action Committee, a coalition sponsored by Collier Building Industry Association, Naples Area Board of Realtors, and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. “We must insist our elected officials be forward thinking and take aggressive steps to provide a functioning I-75.”

Currently, some of Southwest Florida’s most vigorous debates swirl around the most effective methods of widening I-75, the timing of the projects, and who should pay for them. One organization that has been studying the problem is the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority (SWFEA), which was created in June 2005 when Governor Jeb Bush signed legislation sponsored by State Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples. SWFEA is comprised of seven voting members from Lee and Collier Counties, and one non-voting member, the Florida Department of Transportation District One Secretary.

According to a statement released by SWFEA, the organization

�� JUlY 2007 I BusIness Currents I Visit Us Online at www.napleschamber.Org16 JULY 2007 I BusIness Currents I Visit Us OnLine at www.napLeschamber.Org

federal government are kept up to date about the region’s transportation needs.

Each of the proposed solutions for funding and building additional lanes on I-75 in Southwest Florida is controversial. Each plan has its supporters and critics in local government, the business community, and among residents. Yet each group recognizes the importance of this vital roadway, and the need to take action on this issue. Waiting for others to take the lead is not a viable option. Difficult decisions will need to be made in the near future – decisions that will affect Southwest Florida for decades to come.

“To hide behind the argument that fixing the problem is a federal or state responsibility is simply not acceptable,” says Richard Botthoff, executive director of the Regional Business Alliance. “This is a regional problem that affects all of our health, safety and financial well being. Let’s continue to explore all options on solutions together.”

Sources: Southwest Florida Expressway Authority (SWFEA); Southwest Florida Transportation Initiative (SWFTI)

Rob Esmond is a freelance writer living in Naples. He has worked in marketing and public relations positions for a variety of local businesses including the Community Foundation of Collier County, Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, the Economic Development Council of Collier County, and Comcast Cable. Most recently he served as editor of Business To Business Magazine at the Naples Daily News

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