A plan that could one day give Cape Coral drivers a direct connection to I‑75 is gaining traction in Lee County, but it’s far from a done deal.
At a recent meeting, Lee County commissioners voted to include a proposed interchange extending Del Prado Boulevard east across the canal to I-75 on the county’s legislative agenda. The goal: ease congestion on one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
But for everyday drivers, the question remains: Will the project help, or simply shift the traffic bottleneck somewhere else?
“There’s so much in the way — that’s at least six, seven miles from where Del Prado becomes another street, and there’s a million neighborhoods in that area in North Fort Myers,” says longtime homeowner Matthew Allen, whose family has visited Del Prado since the 1980s.
According to county officials, the first step isn’t construction — it’s a study by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) examining traffic flow, environmental impacts and route alignments. That process alone could take five years, Commissioner Brian Hamman says. After that, securing funding could add a decade or more — Allen estimates 10 to 15 years before anything changes on the ground.
Meanwhile, regular commuters already know what gridlock feels like.
“Oh, man, you’re cooked. Six, seven hours just trying to get out of Cape Coral,” said Anthony Ramirez, describing his typical ride.
Allen, who has watched Del Prado evolve since 1982, says the traffic isn’t getting better, and he doesn’t believe this project should move beyond the drawing board.
“The Del Prado exchange simply … it doesn’t have to happen. On the list of priorities, where should it be? It shouldn’t even be on the list.”
For now, drivers stuck in Del Prado traffic will have to keep waiting for a faster way out of the city.