State Road 82 (SR 82) is a 29-mile-long east–west highway serving northern

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

and

Collier County, Florida Collier County is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East N ...

(and "clipping" the southwest corner of

Hendry County Hendry County is a county in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,619, down from 42,022 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is LaBelle. Hendry County comprises the Clewiston, ...

). The western terminus is an intersection with Cleveland Avenue (

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

- SR 45, part of the

Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north� ...

) in

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

; the eastern terminus is an intersection with SR 29 midway between

Immokalee (your home) , nickname = , settlement_type = Census-designated place , motto = , image_skyline = File:Immokalee-Zocalo Plaza 2018.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption ...

and

Felda The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda; ms, Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan. LKTP) is a Malaysian government agency that was founded to handle the resettlement of rural poor into newly developed areas (''colonies'', ''settlements'' ...

Route description

State Road 82 begins in Downtown Fort Myers at

. Motorists continuing past the western terminus of SR 82 travel along McGregor Boulevard ( SR 867). Other State Roads within a few blocks of the western terminus include SR 80 (western terminus located two blocks to the north) and SR 739- Business US 41 to the east. Between Business US 41 ( SR 739) and

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

( SR 93), SR 82 is a divided residential/ commuter road. Within the city of Fort Myers, it is known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. After intersecting Interstate 75, it continues east and passes close to Lehigh Acres. SR 82 intersects Daniels Parkway and Gunnery Road at a

continuous-flow intersection A continuous flow intersection (CFI), also called a crossover displaced left-turn (XDL or DLT), is an alternative design for an at-grade road junction. Vehicles attempting to turn across the opposing direction of traffic (left in right-hand dr ...

near Lehigh Acres. As it continues east, it crosses the southwest

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

farmlands Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, a part of

Big Cypress Swamp Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, becam ...

and the western edge of the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

drainage system. After clipping the southwest corner of Hendry County, SR 82 enters Collier County and it loses its median and becomes a two-lane

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

road before coming to an end at State Road 29 just north of Immokalee.

History

The route was designated State Road 184 until 1945, when it was changed to State Road 82 as part of a state-wide renumbering. Until the 1980s, SR 82 was an "interrupted" state road, for there was concurrently a Fort Lauderdale street (

Davie Boulevard Locally known as Davie Boulevard, State Road 736 (SR 736) is a long commuter highway serving central Broward County, Florida, USA. It extends from its western terminus at an intersection with US 441- SR 7 in Fort Lauderdale to the eastern termin ...

) with SR 82 signage. As part of a statewide renumbering, Davie Boulevard's SR 82 signage was replaced with signs showing its current designation, SR 736. Prior to 1991, SR 82 was known as Anderson Avenue within Fort Myers before being changed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Anderson Avenue was named for Dr. Richard Anderson, who is believed to be the first physician to set up a practice and drug store in Fort Myers. Much of the highway east of Lehigh Acres was upgraded and widened to a multi-lane divided highway in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The

(CFI) at the Daniels Parkway/Gunnery Road intersection was the first CFI built in Florida, which became fully operational on July 9, 2019.

Future

The

Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...

is planning to widen the remaining undivided two-lane segment in Collier County. Construction is underway to widen SR 82 to four lanes from Gator Slough Lane to the terminus at SR 29. This project also included converting the SR 29 intersection to a roundabout. Widening for the remaining segment from the Collier County line to Gator Slough lane is currently being designed with construction slated to begin in 2023.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{attached KML, display=inline, title
Florida Route Log (SR 82)
082 082 082 082 State Road 082