A five-year period ending in 2024 recorded 118 traffic crashes — three of them fatal — at the intersection of Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and Williams Road, marking it as one of Estero’s busiest and most dangerous intersections, according to a traffic study presented to Estero Village Council on Nov. 19.
The Johnson Engineering report outlines congestion and safety concerns on major roads throughout Estero and recommends targeted improvements. It updates the village’s first 2017 traffic study and evaluates expected traffic demand between 2024 and 2034.
The study identifies the U.S. 41 and Williams Road intersection as a high-priority area for safety upgrades, noting two fatalities involved left turns from U.S. 41 onto Williams. Recommended changes include an exclusive westbound right-turn lane and protected northbound and southbound left-turn movements.
Estero Village Council members review the traffic analysis on Nov. 19, when engineers presented findings on congestion, roadway grades and needed upgrades throughout the community.
Evan Williams
Johnson Engineering collected peak-season traffic counts to forecast conditions on roadways maintained by the village, Lee County and the Florida Department of Transportation across Estero’s 30-square-mile area. Roadways were graded from A (free-flowing traffic) to F (exceeding capacity with stop-and-go conditions).
The report found that U.S. 41 and Three Oaks Parkway from Williams to Corkscrew Road already operate beyond capacity. By 2034, segments of Williams, Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and Corkscrew Road also are expected to fail.
Nine of Estero’s 15 signalized intersections along U.S. 41, Corkscrew Road, Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and Three Oaks Parkway currently exceed capacity, with another four projected to reach an F grade by 2034.
Memorial markers sit at the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Williams Road in Estero, where a new traffic study reports 118 crashes — three of them fatal — in a five-year period ending in 2024.
Evan Williams
The study also identifies other high-priority corridors. At U.S. 41 and Coconut Road, 158 crashes occurred during the same five-year period. Recommendations include modifying eastbound and westbound left-turn lanes and installing a traffic signal at Pelican Colony to ease Coconut Road congestion.
Using traffic-impact data from planned residential and commercial projects, including Estero Crossings, Estero Entertainment District, Marketplace at Coconut Point, River Creek, Woodfield Village and Downtown Estero Townhomes, the report estimates how new development will affect future roadway conditions.
Additional recommendations span the village’s network of roads and intersections, including widening turn lanes, adjusting or adding traffic signals, constructing roundabouts, modifying medians and installing new signage, particularly at locations frequently used by pedestrians.