by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
The Sanibel City Council on Tuesday, March 3, considered two options from Kimley-Horn Engineering & Design Consultants to complete planning services for the intersection of Periwinkle Way and Causeway Boulevard, with funding provided by the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Yes, they’re talking about the roundabout.
Council members were surprised to see this item on the agenda. In December 2025, the City Council tabled the matter and directed Council member Richard Johnson to continue discussions with Lee County regarding the feasibility of providing two off-island travel lanes on the causeway. The thinking was that a roundabout could do no good unless there were two lanes off the causeway.
Later that month, Kimley-Horn told the City Council that it had concluded that it is not feasible to create three travel lanes within the existing dimensions of the causeway.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Kimley-Horn presented a “hybrid two-lane roundabout” option that has not really been presented to the community. It likely would require using Environmentally Sensitive Lands, which requires a referendum. Council members had no taste for starting another round of roundabout discussions.
Johnson said, “I want to make this roundabout decision this go around, and then I never want to talk about it again.”
“I feel like it’s Groundhog Day,” said Council member Laura DeBruce. “I don’t want this taking up our citizens’ time, our time, City staff time. We have so much else to do. It will eventually cost over $5 million for one individual to save five minutes of time. We would be tearing apart the island for years. Are we just now coming up with a new plan after all this?”
Actually, Kimley-Horn said it will save each person 1 minute.
Council member John Henshaw, though, said, “Stopping traffic is not efficient. You want a flow.” He also thought the aesthetics of a roundabout might be preferable to the clutter of a four-way stop.
“Are we willing to use environmentally sensitive lands for a big concrete roundabout?” Vice Mayor Holly Smith asked. “And it will cripple the island as we’re still recovering.”
Two options were before the Council for the next step. Right now, they just want to make sure Sanibel citizens have enough information to vote on a roundabout referendum.
Option 1: Minimum Design Necessary – A full topographic survey of the right-of-way at the Periwinkle Way/Causeway Boulevard intersection, and overlay the concept roundabout. This option will be sufficient to find how much, if any, additional right-of-way is required to construct a roundabout. The cost for this option is $28,752.
Option 2: 30% Conceptual Design – Entails the full topographic survey plus a reevaluation of the options of a light at the intersection and a roundabout. This option would also provide additional analysis and public engagement. The cost of this option is $160,000.
The City Council agreed to give voters the choice of whether to build a roundabout, presenting the issue as a voluntary referendum, even though such a vote is not mandated.
DeBruce and Smith said Option 1 will give islanders enough information to vote, given all the information already presented.
Council unanimously voted to accept the full $160,000 MPO grant, which expires soon, but will only use $28,000 for Option 1 now. Council’s direction was to proceed with the first option and use the remaining grant funds for a roundabout project only if it is approved; otherwise, the unused funds will be returned.
Please stop with the roundabout conversation. I think it’s a waste of time and money. Without “two lanes off the island” the roundabout will never function properly. Best traffic solution for now is the traffic officer directing traffic.
Suggest next time we have an opportunity to replace or fix the causeway we just build it with two lanes off the island not one on, one off. That should be our final answer to the traffic issue and best solution to our seasonal traffic problems.
For now , I still think I live in paradise.
Marty Harrity
A miniature golf course on the site of the old Isiand Cow ? Perhaps we could have the site of the old Dairy Queen with a functioning whatever fast food joint after 4 long years of construction fencing ? Perhaps ours could be a tasteful miniature golf course decorated with statues of native fauna and using only native plants ? I can only point out the shuttered play emporium on Summerlin as a cautionary tale. And if the Council shoots down the Roundabout can we all take a vow never to mention it again ???
I favor pursuing all solutions to our traffic issues. I have personal experience with roundabouts, and they can work very well in many situations. If a roundabout will help here, I’m all for it. The status quo is not acceptable.
We have all the information that we need. How can this even be a question given the dictates of the Sanibel Plan? Destroying environmentally sensitive lands so people can save 1 minute a couple months out of the year is a non-starter for us.
We have long had a home on Sanibel, but our primary home is in Montana which is not generally known for being progressive. However, our city has been slowly adding round abouts at many troublesome intersections, and believe me – they are a godsend! The current causeway itself is more than adequate, and I have always breezed thru that portion after long waits to get off the island.