Pine Island News

The long-awaited expansion of Pine Island Road from Burnt Store Road to Chiquita Boulevard is back on the table and at a price that is much less than earlier proposed.

The state is constructing a concrete directional barrier at Pine Island and Skyline, where a deputy was killed last year.

"I'm 81 and had to give up my pickup truck and quit driving so I need some wheels." Ronald Lashey has owned his golf cart for more than a year, "There's a movement all over the United States to authorize golf carts and we're just joining in that movement," he said.

Crews will be placing signs and staging the project Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, crews will begin removal of existing flex stakes.

The acquisition was funded by the Conservation 20/20 Program with a $20,000 contribution from the Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island.