On Monday, Nov. 2, Lee County opens the last piece of Three Oaks Parkway. It's a new four-lane stretch that crosses the Fiddlesticks Canal and runs north to Daniels Parkway. The ribbon cutting starts at 10 a.m. Once the road opens, the Publix plaza on Fiddlesticks Boulevard will sit on a continuous north-south arterial that the county describes as running "from Daniels Parkway south through the Village of Estero, the City of Bonita Springs and Collier County."
Crews will stay on the Daniels Parkway end, where most south Fort Myers drivers will feel the change, after the ceremony, and the county now expects to finish in early 2027.
The Gap the New Road Closes
Three Oaks Parkway has been a major road for a long time, but its north end stopped at the Fiddlesticks Canal, north of Alico Road. The county split the extension into two phases. Phase 1 runs from the canal north to the area around Indian Paint Lane. Phase 2 runs from there to Daniels Parkway, where it meets Fiddlesticks Boulevard and Palomino Lane. The work also repaves the existing part of Three Oaks between Alico Road and the canal.
Construction began on Phase 1 in summer 2023, and Phase 2 crews started at the end of March 2025. The project's July 2026 update lists EHC Construction as the contractor and the cost at about $39.7 million.
One local detail matters to people who live along the route. The new road does not connect to Indian Pony Drive. The county said so in its December 2025 update.
Lee County calls the job a Tier 1 Capital Improvement Project priority. It describes the finished corridor as "critical north/south relief to Interstate 75." In practice, a trip that used to mean getting on I-75 or zigzagging over to Daniels can now use one local road that runs from Daniels into Estero and on south.
What the New Pavement Looks Like
The new section has two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction, separated by a median 14 to 18 feet wide. Each side has a 5-foot bike lane and a 6-foot sidewalk. The project site says the Phase 1 part is built a little differently, with an 8-foot sidewalk on the west side and a 6-foot sidewalk on the east side.
The bike lanes and sidewalks are the reason the county is asking nearby neighbors to walk or bike to Monday's ribbon cutting instead of driving. For anyone in the communities along Fiddlesticks Boulevard, that's a walkable connection to the shopping center that didn't exist a few years ago.
The Roundabout at the Publix Is the New Front Door
The most visible change for daily errands is the roundabout where Fiddlesticks Boulevard meets Old Fiddlesticks Boulevard. The county's release says it "provides access to the Publix Shopping Center."
The center is The Shoppes at Fiddlesticks, at 13650 Fiddlesticks Boulevard, next to the signalized intersection of Daniels Parkway and Fiddlesticks Boulevard. Besides the Publix, the landlord's tenant list includes The UPS Store, OneBlood, H&R Block, Scenthound, Goodwill and Leoni's Pizzeria. Close by, Fiddlesticks Cafe serves American diner food at 13750 Fiddlesticks Blvd #302 and is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Once the full route opens, a driver coming north from Alico Road or Estero will be able to reach this cluster through the roundabout without using Daniels or I-75.
Drivers here have already been through the trial run. In May, WGCU reported that a temporary traffic shift was sending cars through the new roundabout. During that setup, drivers leaving the Publix center could reach Daniels two ways. One was Cody Lee Lane and Powers Court. The other was the southern driveway, then the roundabout, then northbound Three Oaks. One Fiddlesticks-area driver told WINK News at the time that "there's a number of drivers that are really kind of confused."
By July, Cody Lee Road and the new southern Publix entrance were limited to right-in, right-out turns, and Phase 1 was still closed to traffic. Those patterns were temporary. Monday's opening is the first time the roundabout will connect to an open Three Oaks Parkway to the south.
The Daniels End Is Still a Work Zone
Monday finishes the new road but not the intersection it feeds into. The county lists two pieces of work still to come:
- Three Oaks Parkway / Palomino Lane at Daniels: the intersection improvement "will be complete after restriping occurs."
- Daniels Parkway widening: Daniels has been widened to eight lanes from Danport Boulevard to Apaloosa Lane / Powers Court, but all eight lanes won't open until final paving and striping are done.
The project site also says a new traffic signal is planned at Powers Court and Apaloosa Lane. It gives the eastern widening limit as Danport Boulevard / Renaissance Way.
The county hasn't published dates for the final paving and striping. Its only firm timeline is "early 2027" for the whole project. In the release's own words, "Motorists will notice additional work happening in the area after the ribbon cutting, but the new portion of Three Oaks Parkway will be open."
So for the next few months, Daniels between Danport and Powers Court will have new pavement and lanes that aren't open yet. Drivers coming off the new Three Oaks segment will join Daniels at an intersection that is still waiting for its final lines.
A Finish Date That Moved Forward Twice
The schedule is what makes this unusual for a Lee County road project. The original contract called for completion in mid-2028. As recently as December 2025, the project update still expected Phase 2 to finish in spring 2028. By July 2026, the county was calling the work ahead of schedule without naming a new date. The Oct. 19, 2026 release puts the opening on Nov. 2 and final completion in early 2027, which the county calls "substantially ahead of schedule."
That means a road expected in 2028 is carrying traffic about 18 months early. The remaining work at Daniels is the cleanup on a project that came in well ahead of its timeline, not a sign of a new delay.
Monday's Ribbon Cutting and How to Follow the Rest
If you want to see the opening in person or keep track of what comes next, here's what the county has announced:
- The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, on Three Oaks Parkway just south of the new Fiddlesticks Boulevard intersection. Lee County commissioners and other officials will speak briefly. Follow the event and parking signs, or walk or bike in if you live nearby.
- The livestream will run on Lee County's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
- Weekly lane updates come from the county DOT's Roadwatch, which posts every Thursday. Check it before assuming any lane on Daniels is open or closed.
- Project news is posted at threeoaksextension.com, where you can also sign up for updates.
- Questions from residents and business owners go to the project's community outreach specialist at 239-337-1071.
The new road opens after the ceremony on Monday. Daniels Parkway at Palomino Lane and the eight-lane section from Danport to Powers Court are the parts to keep an eye on through early 2027.
I'm a Gateway resident, so Daniels Parkway is part of my own regular drive. If you're weighing how the new Three Oaks connection affects a commute, a school run or a home search in south Fort Myers, I'm happy to talk it through with you in English or Spanish. Let's Connect with Fernando Daza.
