Collier County study proposes overpass to fix Golden Gate Parkway backups

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Golden Gate Parkway has a serious traffic problem, and a new study lays out a plan to fix it.

"It's horrible. The traffic is always like backed up, most of the times," Sharon Giordano said.

Transportation Planning Manager, Lorraine Lantz, says the roadway carries between 55,000 and 57,000 vehicles per day in its busiest stretches, with the worst backups happening at Livingston Road and the I-75 interchange during morning and afternoon rush hours.

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"Especially when school comes out, seasons around, and if you're anywhere between 12 and five, you're at least gonna be in traffic for an hour coming from Livingston to here. It's insane," Elaine Glaser said.

The Golden Gate Parkway Corridor Study starts at 60th Street then crosses I-75 all the way down to Livingston Road. Commuters and neighbors say the roughly two-mile stretch is the worst part of their commute.

"I just retired last year, but going into Naples is ridiculous in the morning and coming home in the afternoon. Backed up at Santa Barbara, backed up at Livingston," Bill Hamilton said.

Lantz says some intersections in the study are already operating beyond capacity, and without improvements, the study projects longer wait times and worsening congestion ahead.

"It's just bumper to bumper. It's just really crazy and crowded, and yeah, and I can't. This is the only way I can go," Giordano said.

The study's preferred plan includes an overpass at Livingston Road, improvements at the I-75 interchange, an additional eastbound lane connecting to the I-75 ramps and safety and access upgrades throughout the corridor.

"The overpass would definitely help because no stopping, you'd keep right on going," Hamilton said.

The study shows the I-75 interchange improvements could be a diverging diamond or modified continuous green T intersection.

Lantz says Golden Gate Parkway is already a six-lane road, so the focus here is on fixing bottlenecks rather than simply adding more lanes.

The study will go before the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and also suggests reducing left-hand turns but adding wider medians with U-turn opportunities.

"I feel like the traffic to make that happen would be a hassle. But I feel like once the project is completed, I feel like that would be a huge, huge boost for everything around here for sure. Make traffic a lot easier for us," Glaser said.

Before any construction can begin, the project still needs funding, design work, permitting and coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Lantz says residents should also know that while these improvements are meant to ease congestion and improve reliability, they are not expected to eliminate peak-period backups entirely.