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Lee asks Collier to be a “Good Neighbor”

Lee County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday asking Collier County to be a good neighbor. 

At issue is Collier’s plan to route trucks carrying sand for a beach nourishment project down a road in Lee County that Lee Commissioners said is unsuitable.  

Lee County objects to trucks carrying heavy loads of sand making about 200 trips a day down Corkscrew Road for a period of three to four months.  The sand will be mined near Immokalee, in Collier County, and deposited on Collier County beaches.   The shortest route is via Corkscrew Road, which crosses both counties.  Lee County spokesperson, Betsy Clayton, said the trucks would threaten wildlife and public safety.  

“Corkscrew has some S curves, Corkscrew Road has three panther crossing signs, Corkscrew Road opens from being a rural wildlife habitat corridor road a residential corridor,” Clayton said.  “There are at least five planned communities along Corkscrew Road, there’s school bus stops.”

Lee County would like Collier to route the sand on its roadways or , alternatively,  on Alico Road which runs parallel to Corkscrew and already carries a lot truck traffic.  Collier County Commissioners will consider the resolution at their next meeting, Oct. 8.  

Valerie Alker hosts All Things Considered. She has been a Reporter/Producer and program host at WGCU since 1991. She reports on general news topics in Southwest Florida and has also produced documentaries for WGCU-TV’s former monthly environmental documentary programs In Focus on the Environment and Earth Edition. Valerie also helps supervise WGCU news interns and contributes to NPR programs.