BABCOCK RANCH, Fla. (July 27, 2026) – Relief is on the way for motorists traveling State Road 31 in Lee County as the Florida Department of Transportation advances a major overhaul of the corridor. The improvements are designed to ease long-standing congestion and replace the aging Wilson Pigott Bridge over the Caloosahatchee River.
The two-phase project includes widening a 1.4-mile stretch of S.R. 31 between Palm Beach Boulevard (S.R. 80) and Bayshore Road (S.R. 78) from two lanes to a six-lane divided roadway. FDOT is expected to accept bids in the near future.
“We are pleased the state is moving forward with the remaining improvements to S.R. 31,” said Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, the developer of Babcock Ranch which funded the project’s first $85-million phase by building a new four-lane replacement road between Bayshore Road and Babcock Ranch Drive. “When completed, these two phases will greatly transform transportation in the region.”
Long identified as a corridor in need of expansion, S.R. 31 and the Wilson Pigott Bridge were projected in a 1988 Lee County study to fall short of meeting regional traffic demands by 2010. Today, the roadway continues to serve as a key route for agriculture, mining, manufacturing and commuter traffic between Lakeland and Southwest Florida.
The first phase funded by Kitson & Partners includes construction of a new four-lane divided roadway east of the existing S.R. 31 between Bayshore Road and Lake Babcock Drive. Designed for future expansion to six lanes from Bayshore Road to Cypress Parkway, the corridor will also feature roundabouts at Lake Babcock Drive, Fox Hill Road and Shirley Lane.
Lake Babcock Drive is currently closed through July as crews construct the roundabout, with detours in place via Cypress Parkway, Greenway Boulevard and Saw Palmetto Parkway. The first phase is expected to be completed in May 2027.
“While construction may create temporary inconveniences, these improvements will deliver long-term benefits for safety, flood mitigation and traffic flow,” Kitson said.
Plans for the second phase call for replacing the two-lane Wilson Pigott drawbridge, built in 1960, with a high-span fixed bridge and reconfiguring the existing S.R. 31/S.R. 80 intersection. The proposed span, east of the existing bridge, will have six lanes and provide a 57-foot vertical clearance above the river – more than twice the height of the current structure’s 27 feet. The improvements are expected to begin in 2027, according to an FDOT spokesperson.
Both projects include sidewalks and multiuse trails along S.R. 31 as well as lighting enhancements at major intersections and significant improvements to stormwater facilities. The existing S.R. 31 will become an access road for properties to the west. The speed limit for most of the new road will be 45 mph.
