Naples Around Town Update for Dec. 7, 2006
The new $37.9 million project to build an overpass at Airport-Pulling Road and Golden Gate Parkway in Naples is expected to open for traffic in February. The overpass will run east and west and allow traffic to travel over Airport Rd headed to and from the Estates. Street lights and landscaping still needs to be completed but traffic is expected to flow in February with the entire project to finish in June. The Golden Gate Parkway section is also scheduled to be widened to six lanes from the overpass to Livingston Road. Appoximately 20,000 cars a day are expected on the parkway with most of them coming from the new I-75 interchange being built by the state of Florida at the Golden Gate Exit.
Boaters in Naples coming in and out of Wiggins Pass will have an easier time after the approved dredging project is completed. Some areas of the Pass have gotten so low that even smaller boats are having a hard time navigating. Wiggins Pass is usually dredged every two years, but in addition, the area east of the entrance to Turkey Bay that leads to the Cocohatchee launch has not been touched since 1984 and will be targeted this time. The sand taken from the dredging will be placed on the beach at Delnor Wiggins State Park and will add 135 feet to the beach in some areas.
The 20th Annual Village on Venetian Bay Boat Parade is tonight and will begin at 5:00 PM with live bands, carolers and a cookout. The boats will begin coming up the bay at around 6:45 PM. There are about 20 boats that are expected to participate in tonight’s parade. This is a festive event in Naples every Christmas holiday.