Lee County will cut the ribbon Monday on a new stretch of Three Oaks Parkway that finally links Daniels Parkway to Alico Road, closing a gap that has been years in the making. The 10 a.m. ceremony at the intersection of Three Oaks Parkway and Fiddlesticks Boulevard will draw county commissioners and other officials for brief remarks before the new roadway sections open to drivers.
The project, built in two phases, was designed to connect Daniels Parkway and Alico Road through Fiddlesticks Boulevard, according to news-press.com. A roundabout on Fiddlesticks Boulevard was completed Tuesday, the outlet reported, one of the final pieces to fall into place before Monday's opening. Lee County will also designate a parking area on the southbound side of Three Oaks Parkway, south of the Fiddlesticks Boulevard signal, and plans to livestream the ceremony on its YouTube and Facebook channels, per WGCU.
Two Phases, Two Contractors, One New Corridor
Phase 1 of the extension runs from north of Alico Road to the Fiddlesticks Canal near Indian Paint Lane and was built by Wright Construction Group, according to WGCU's report. Lee County awarded that contract back on May 16, 2023, in a vote described at the time by news.wgcu.org as part of a Tier One priority project for the Board of County Commissioners. That first section carried an estimated price tag of $26.8 million, the station reported.
Phase 2 continues from Indian Paint Lane to Daniels Parkway and was constructed by EHC Construction, per the WGCU report. The county's low-bid contract for that final phase, awarded Feb. 18, 2025, came in at $39.7 million, according to wgcu.org. Both phases were designed as four-lane divided roads with 11-foot-wide travel lanes in each direction and a five-foot bicycle lane, according to the project's official information page at threeoaksextension.com.
Sidewalks, Lane Widths and a Widened Daniels Parkway
Phase 1 includes an eight-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side of the roadway and a six-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side, the project site notes. Phase 2 adds six-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides of the roadway. The broader effort also widened Daniels Parkway to eight lanes from Danport Boulevard to Appaloosa Lane/Powers Court, with that widened section expected to open to traffic once final paving and striping wrap up, according to the WGCU report.
A new traffic signal is planned for Powers Court and Appaloosa Lane, per the project page, and Lee County has plans to improve the intersection of Daniels Parkway and Three Oaks Parkway/Palomino Lane. In the meantime, Palomino Lane has been completely demolished between Daniels Parkway and Jobe Road, creating a detour for some drivers, according to gulfcoastnewsnow.com.
County Says Project Came In Ahead of Schedule
Betsy Clayton said the project team opened Three Oaks Parkway ahead of schedule for the public, according to the WGCU report, which described the overall project as nearing completion even as individual phases carry their own timelines. Lee County, contractors, designers and the inspection team worked together to avoid significant construction delays, per that same account, and project planning, design and weather all helped support the fast pace of construction.
WGCU's report notes the project was scheduled for completion by mid-2028 but says final completion is now scheduled for early 2027 — timelines that reflect the project's phased nature. Separately, the project's own information page lists Phase 1 as expected to be complete in 2027 and Phase 2 in spring 2028. Once finished, the corridor is expected to mark the third direct route between Naples and Fort Myers for Southwest Florida drivers, the WGCU report states.
County officials behind the project have framed it as critical congestion relief for the region, including for I-75, a goal first laid out when the Phase 1 contract was awarded in 2023, according to news.wgcu.org's reporting at the time. Gulf Coast News Now similarly describes the extension as aiming to create a new road to ease travel on I-75 in Lee County. For now, residents can expect the new portion of Three Oaks Parkway to open to traffic following Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
