The traffic signal at Corkscrew Road and Alico Road got new mast arms overnight from Sunday, September 13, into Monday, September 14. A month later, on October 15, the signal still ran on the old lights strung on wires. According to Engage Estero's October 2026 East Corkscrew update, "additional work remains" before the new arms take over. That half-finished intersection sums up the corridor this season. On East Corkscrew, the work that sets the calendar is underground or overhead: utility lines, power poles and the access lanes a new store needs before it can open. The road crews mostly finish their part on time.
East Corkscrew passed 10,000 homes in June 2026, so a lot of drivers now depend on those wires.
The widening's new date comes from FPL and Lumen
When Engage Estero published its update on October 15, Lee County's Phase II widening between Corkscrew Shores and Alico Road was still projected to finish in December 2026. A day later, the Village of Estero posted the county's latest notice, which said:
"Due to additional work required by Lee County Utilities, as well as delays in utility relocations by FPL and Lumen, the project completion is expected late Spring 2027."
That's from the Village of Estero's October 16 Phase 2 update. The project costs about $27 million, and the contractor is Bergeron Land Development, Inc.
The same notice shows how much of the remaining work involves wires and pipes. Crews are installing utility conduits, light pole bases and light poles on the north side from Wayside Lane to Alico Road. They're laying drainage on both Corkscrew and Alico and finishing street lighting along the south-side sidewalk. They're also paving the north side between the Corkscrew Shores main entrance and Alico. The eastbound lanes already carry two-way traffic on their first layer of asphalt while the westbound side is built. The north-side paving includes the eastbound left-turn lane onto Alico. Drivers can't use that lane until the new signal is running, which brings the job back to the mast arms.
The county still schedules some of the biggest jobs for weekends. For the work from Friday, October 23, through Monday, October 26, Corkscrew had overnight lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and Alico was cut to one lane in each direction. Expect more notices like that through spring. Lee County's project site lists the contacts for questions.
West of the widening, the path stopped where the poles stood
The Village's own project runs west of the county's widening: a multi-use path, streetlights and median landscaping along Corkscrew. It had a Fall 2026 target, and most of it got done. Irrigation piping was finished in May, native planting began the week of August 10, and most of the south-side path was completed the week of August 31.
The unfinished pieces sit where the power lines are. The path along Stoneybrook stalled because there was no path there yet and FPL poles stood in the way, including a short section in front of the self-storage facility. A few streetlights were also missing in front of the self-storage and the water treatment plant. Many of the poles were moved during the last week of September, and streetlights went up along Stoneybrook the week of October 5. The path lights themselves were still waiting at mid-October.
Aldi opens when its driveway does
The pattern repeats at the new grocery store. Aldi's site is 11906 Newbridge Drive, south of Corkscrew Road and east of Stoneybrook Golf Drive, just past Corkscrew Shores. Engage Estero's September 2026 community report described the store as well into construction. According to Engage Estero, the store is targeted to open in December 2026. The Village requires a new right-in, right-out entrance on Corkscrew before that can happen.
That entrance is its own small road project. Lee County has issued the development order and the right-of-way permit. The underground utilities had to be moved first, so grading didn't start until late August, and curb work began the week of August 31. The concrete includes the stretch of multi-use path that crosses the new entrance. As of mid-October, only final grading and paving were left. The plans also add a right-turn lane at the new entrance, so eastbound drivers will be able to pull in without braking in a through lane.
Across town, Whataburger's opening ran on schedule. Its new restaurant at 22927 Lyden Drive, across from Coconut Point, opened October 22 with 158 seats and runs daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to Gulfshore Business. The News-Press had reported that it would open six weeks after the chain's September 10 Fort Myers debut.
The new drive-thru goes on the corner with the hardest exit
At the west end of the corridor, Chick-fil-A is going up on the former Perkins site at Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and Corkscrew Road, in the Shoppes at Grande Oak. Perkins was demolished the week of August 3, and construction started in early September. Estero's Planning, Zoning & Design Board approved the design on December 9, 2025, according to the Village's recap of that meeting. The building is about 5,695 square feet, with a dual-lane drive-thru, about 70 indoor seats and 16 outdoor seats, and a Mediterranean-style exterior with stucco and a Spanish tile roof.
The site's access is already in place, but it's hard to use. To head east on Corkscrew from Grand Oaks Plaza, a driver has to cross three westbound lanes and make a U-turn at the Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and Stoneybrook Golf Drive signal. Engage Estero lists that exit as a safety concern made worse by the new construction. Across Corkscrew, the Stoneybrook exit has only two lanes for traffic leaving the Miromar Design Center, CVS, the Stoneybrook community and the golf course with Duffy's. The same update says a third lane will be needed once the empty land in front of Stoneybrook is developed.
Cell service runs on a utility schedule too
The Bella Terra cell tower follows the same pattern. The tower went up April 30, passed its electrical inspection by June 30, and FPL connected power by the end of July. Carriers then connect in a set order: Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.
| Carrier at the Bella Terra tower | Status in Engage Estero's October 15 update |
|---|---|
| Verizon | Live the week of August 24, 2026 |
| T-Mobile | Equipment installation began the week of August 10, then little to no activity for the following month |
| AT&T | Starts after T-Mobile is installed and running |
Verizon users reported five bars near the tower and three by the third traffic circle in Bella Terra. A Lee County radio tower with cell capability, east of Kingston Village, is expected to be finished by the end of 2026.
Past Alico, a 2027 finish is the last widening for a while
The late-Spring-2027 date matters more because of what comes after it. According to Engage Estero, the draft 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan from the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization has no money to widen Corkscrew east of Alico Road for the next 10 years. Lee County DOT has said it can't start the environmental study for a Phase III ahead of time, because that study stays valid for only five years.
Two other projects are on the way. Kingston Village's developer, Cameratta Companies, is widening Corkscrew to four lanes along that development and has moved traffic onto the new eastbound lanes. Kingston Village Parkway, a new north-south road, will run from Corkscrew to State Route 82, with a signal at SR 82 expected by Winter 2027/2028. Separately, the Alico Road extension was scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2026 and finish in late 2029. So the Phase II stretch due in spring is the last widening east of Alico for the coming decade, and every new access point added before then connects to the road as it stands now.
Two dates this month that don't depend on a pole
The Village has two events coming up on fixed dates:
- Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: a native-plant giveaway and sale at Estero RiverPark, 20911 Highlands Avenue. Preregistered guests can arrive at 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to noon: the Veterans celebration at Estero Community Park, with music, classic cars, military vehicles, children's activities and free hot dogs.
Engage Estero has said it will post its next East Corkscrew update in January 2027.
We live and work along these same roads and follow each construction notice as it's posted. If you'd like help understanding what the Corkscrew timeline means for your street or your community's front gate, The Fowler Team is happy to talk it through over coffee. Discover Your SWFL Home.
