SAYS SHE USED TO WORK AT EXPERIENCE WILL. YEAH, IT’S ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY USE ROADS IN OUR AREA BURNT STORE ROAD CONNECTS CAPE CORAL TO CHARLOTTE COUNTY. >> AND ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY, UP TO 14,000 VEHICLES. USE THIS ROAD EVERY DAY. THAT WAS 3 YEARS AGO. FDOT BELIEVES THAT NUMBER WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS EXCEEDING 32,000 DRIVERS TONIGHT, GULF COAST NEWS REPORTED JALEN BARRON IS LIVE ALONG BURNT STORE WHERE PEOPLE SAY CHANGE IS NEEDED. NOW BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED. >> DRIVERS ON BURNT STORE ROAD SAY IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE NEXT SERIOUS CRASH. NEIGHBORS ARE CALLING FOR ACTION TELLING ME THIS STRETCH NEEDS TO BE CHANGE. >> IT’S A BAD SITUATION. AND YET I WAS TOLD THAT A 20 YEARS AGO THE ROAD WOULD BE DONE WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHETHER YOU’RE TURNING ON TO BURNT STORE ROAD OR DRIVING ON THIS TWO-LANE SECTION, PEOPLE KNOW IT CAN BE ONE OF THE SCARIEST ROADS TO DRIVE ON, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHITE KNUCKLING IT LIKE WHEN YOU’RE GOING DOWN BURNT STORE ROAD, IT’S LIKE WHITE KNUCKLING IT. IT’S JUST. >> YOU’RE IN CONSTANT, HYPER VIGILANCE. IT’S SCARY. IT’S NOT SAFE. THERE’S NO SIDE OF THE ROADS TO GO OFF AND IT’S JUST NOT A SAFE SITUATION FOR ANYBODY. BACK IN OCTOBER, A COUPLE AND A WOMAN DIED IN A CRASH ON BURNT STORE BY THE CHARLOTTE COUNTY LINE. THE FOUR-LANE ROAD EXPANSION IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR YEARS. IN THE MEANTIME, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO MAKE IT SAFER BY ADDING SHOULDERS AND RUMBLE STRIPS. IF YOU REALLY CARE, YOU GOT TO DO SOMETHING. SOMETHING’S GOT TO HAPPEN. I MEAN, HOW MANY MORE YEARS ARE GOING TO GO ON? AND KRISTEN, RIGHT, A YOUNG MOM OF 2 TELLS ME SHE IS FOR ANY NEW SAFETY MEASURES ON THE ROAD. THAT’S A GOOD IDEA. >> JUST SLOWING IT DOWN BECAUSE IT CAN BE PRETTY SCARY. TRYING TO TO MERGE INTO THERE. >> THE COUNTY HAS BEEN WORKING TO WIDEN BURNT STORE ROAD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE ON THE SOUTH END. CLAY QUIMBY TELLS ME HE IS READY TO SEE FEWER CROSSES LIKE THE ONES HERE HONORING PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED. RESIDENTS SAY THINGS NEED TO
Cape Coral residents plead for safety improvements on Burnt Store Road
Updated: 7:33 PM EST Dec 5, 2025
Cape Coral residents are calling for urgent safety improvements on Burnt Store Road, a notoriously dangerous two-lane stretch, as expansion plans remain years away.”It’s a bad situation. And yet I was told, 20 years ago, the road would be done. When I first moved in the neighborhood. And it hasn’t happened yet,” said Clay Quimby, a Cape Coral resident.Locals describe driving on Burnt Store Road as nerve-wracking, with Sarah Swope, another resident, explaining, “We were talking about white knuckling it like when you’re going down Burns Road, it’s like white knuckling it. It’s just you’re in constant hypervigilance. It’s scary. It’s not safe. There’s no side of the roads to go off on. It’s just not a safe situation for anybody.”In October, a crash on Burnt Store Road near the Charlotte County line resulted in the deaths of a couple and another woman. While a four-lane expansion is planned, it is not expected for several years.In the meantime, Lee County commissioners are considering adding shoulders and rumble strips to enhance safety.”If you really care, you got to do something. Something’s got to happen. I mean, how many more years is it going to go on?” Quimby said.Kristen Wright, a young mother of two, supports any new safety measures, saying, “That’s a good idea. Just slowing it down because it can be pretty scary trying to merge into there.”The county has been working for over a decade to widen Burnt Store Road, adding lanes to the south end. Quimby expressed his readiness to see fewer memorial crosses along the road, emphasizing the urgent need for action. Residents continue to call for immediate improvements to prevent further tragedies.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Cape Coral residents are calling for urgent safety improvements on Burnt Store Road, a notoriously dangerous two-lane stretch, as expansion plans remain years away.
“It’s a bad situation. And yet I was told, 20 years ago, the road would be done. When I first moved in the neighborhood. And it hasn’t happened yet,” said Clay Quimby, a Cape Coral resident.
Locals describe driving on Burnt Store Road as nerve-wracking, with Sarah Swope, another resident, explaining, “We were talking about white knuckling it like when you’re going down Burns Road, it’s like white knuckling it. It’s just you’re in constant hypervigilance. It’s scary. It’s not safe. There’s no side of the roads to go off on. It’s just not a safe situation for anybody.”
In October, a crash on Burnt Store Road near the Charlotte County line resulted in the deaths of a couple and another woman. While a four-lane expansion is planned, it is not expected for several years.
In the meantime, Lee County commissioners are considering adding shoulders and rumble strips to enhance safety.
“If you really care, you got to do something. Something’s got to happen. I mean, how many more years is it going to go on?” Quimby said.
Kristen Wright, a young mother of two, supports any new safety measures, saying, “That’s a good idea. Just slowing it down because it can be pretty scary trying to merge into there.”
The county has been working for over a decade to widen Burnt Store Road, adding lanes to the south end. Quimby expressed his readiness to see fewer memorial crosses along the road, emphasizing the urgent need for action. Residents continue to call for immediate improvements to prevent further tragedies.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.