The traffic light at Old San Carlos and Estero boulevards on Fort Myers Beach is working again, more than three years after Hurricane Ian took it out

The traffic signal at Old San Carlos Boulevard and Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach is operating again, more than three years after Hurricane Ian destroyed it.

The intersection is the one traffic passes through arriving on the island over the Matanzas Pass bridge, which makes it among the busiest on Fort Myers Beach. It has been without a working signal since the storm made landfall in September 2022.

The Lee County Department of Transportation carried out the repair using federal funding. Todd Catronio, the project manager, described the reliability of the restored signal as the point of the work.

"Everyone trusts the green light, and it is our job to make sure that trust has been gained every single day when they go through it," Catronio told Gulf Coast News. He described the project as a personal priority, adding that "when you care about the job that you are doing, you tend to get it done sooner rather than later."

The county has published the timing. The signal on Estero Boulevard takes roughly 20 to 25 seconds to change from red to green.

Peter Ennis, who works on Fort Myers Beach, told the newsroom the restoration registered as progress. "It was tough, but it is nice to see some things coming back," he said, and pointed to the effect on getting onto the island: "It is nice to see some lights here so we can get some traffic flowing onto the beach."

The work at the intersection is not entirely complete. Crews will continue minor repairs there over the next few days.

Bernie Montas reported the restoration for Gulf Coast News. Lee County has not posted a separate public notice of the completion at a stable address, so the account of the funding, the timing and the remaining work is carried here as the county gave it to that newsroom, attributed accordingly.

The signal is one item on a long list. Thirty-four months passed between the storm and a working light at the entrance to the island, which is a plainer measure of the pace of recovery on Fort Myers Beach than the construction visible along Estero Boulevard.