Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann attended the Community Council’s monthly meeting to give an update on the Joel Boulevard restriping plan and the addition of traffic lights on the busy roadway.
“After hearing the plan from the Lee County Department of Transportation I got a better understanding of their proposed restriping. The goal was to reduce Joel Boulevard to two lanes with a turn lane down the middle. Then there would be no way for drivers to go faster than the person in front of them. The plan was met with some resistance so for now it’s on the back burner,” Mann explained.
Mann also announced that while the restriping plan was on hold, the county does have a plan to install two traffic lights, one would fall under this year’s budget one next year.
“In the last five years there have been around 50 accidents on Joel Boulevard, three of them were fatalities. That’s just not acceptable. While deciding the next step for Joel, the county plans to install two red lights. The first one will be at the busiest corner off Joel, at 6th Street, near the 7-Eleven. The second one will be close to Country Club Drive,” Mann said.