For as long as the Vineyards has existed, Vanderbilt Beach Road has run one way in practice. West of the community it carried you to Mercato, US 41 and the Gulf. East of the community it ended at Collier Boulevard. Anything farther east in Golden Gate Estates meant taking Immokalee Road or Golden Gate Boulevard.
That changed this year. The east end now runs seven more miles of new pavement with a separated trail beside it. The west end, toward the beach, is under construction until about mid-2028. The Vineyards sits on the stretch between them, so the same road now leads to open pavement in one direction and a work zone in the other.
The End of the Road Moved Seven Miles East
The Vanderbilt Beach Road Extension opened to traffic on Friday, June 12, 2026, Gulf Coast News reported that afternoon. It runs from Collier Boulevard to 16th Street NE. According to Collier County's opening announcement, it has six divided lanes from east of Collier Boulevard to west of Wilson Boulevard, then two lanes to 16th Street NE. New traffic signals stand at Wilson Boulevard, 8th Street NE and 16th Street NE.
The route is unlike anything else on the road. As Naples Press columnist Tim Aten described it, the extension passes Olde Florida Golf Club, veers slightly north, then runs east behind 5-acre lots between 10th Avenue and 12th Avenue Northwest and Northeast. The project relocated a canal and built bridges over three others. It also rebuilt Massey Street as a north-south link between Vanderbilt Beach Road and Immokalee Road, with curbs, gutters and a shared-use path on its west side. The original access road at that end is now called Old Vanderbilt Beach Road.
The project took a long time and cost a lot. Naples Press reported that it is the most expensive road project Collier County has ever undertaken, at more than $200 million. Phase one started in fall 2022 on a three-year schedule aimed at fall 2025. It opened the following June. Commissioner Bill McDaniel, whose District 5 includes the project, told Naples Press that the need for the road was triggered back in 2006:
"I wasn't able to get it commenced until 2022. Sixteen years of population and growth transpired, which horribly impacted Immokalee Road as well as Golden Gate Boulevard, which were the only true east-west corridors that we had to move the people in and out."
At the July 1 ribbon-cutting, recorded by Collier Television, Transportation Management Services head Trinity Scott read an email sent to the county four days after opening: "The Vanderbilt Extension is amazing and very well done. I have not been on Immokalee Road in 4 days." That is one driver's account rather than a traffic count. It still shows what the road was built to do: give the area east of Collier Boulevard a third way in and out.
The Road Came With Seven Miles of Trail
The extension also brought the area a long, continuous off-road trail. A paved path, separated from traffic, runs the full length of the new road on its north side from Collier Boulevard to 16th Street NE. Naples Pathways Coalition calls it the first new seven miles of the Paradise Coast Trail. The coalition's own trail page describes Naples as an outlier among Florida communities when it comes to connected off-road trails. It says the Gordon River Greenway and the Rich King Memorial Greenway, popular as they are, have been limited in scope and connectivity. Measured against those two greenways, a continuous seven-mile path changes what is possible on foot or by bike on this side of the county.
At the ribbon-cutting, Scott thanked Naples Pathways Coalition and Naples Velo for their advocacy. She called the multi-use path an important segment of a network meant to connect the Florida Gulf Coast Trail with the Collier to Polk Trail. According to the coalition, the Florida Gulf Coast Trail is planned to run 420 miles through seven coastal counties, and the Collier to Polk Trail 220 miles through the center of the state.
In the coalition's July 30 announcement, Executive Director Michelle Avola-Brown describes the Paradise Coast Trail as a system of more than 100 miles. It would eventually connect Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island and Ave Maria. Seven of those miles now start at Collier Boulevard, the nearest major intersection east of the Vineyards.
The coalition's best-known fall event isn't on the new segment. Its 22nd Annual Iron Joe Turkey Ride & Walk is on November 22 at Eagle Lakes Park, with several bike-ride distances and a 2.5-mile walk.
Toward the Beach, the Road Is Now the Work Zone
On the other side of the Vineyards, the drive toward the Gulf is getting harder. Collier County issued a notice to proceed in early June 2026 to widen Vanderbilt Beach Road from four lanes to six. The work covers about 1.8 miles, from just east of US 41 to about Fontana Del Sol Way. That stretch takes in the two intersections that matter most on a westbound errand. Per the county's project page, the plan includes:
- Most of the new lanes built in the existing median
- Improved intersections at Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road
- Existing sidewalks kept, with new bike lanes added
- Improved drainage throughout the project area
The county estimates two years of construction. Most lane closures are planned between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. That window covers a midday errand or trip to the beach, not the morning commute. The biggest disruption comes in spring 2027. When a box culvert goes in under the road, traffic between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road is planned to drop to one lane in each direction for about two months.
The timing explains how the road's two ends traded places. Construction started on the west end the same month the east end opened. Until about mid-2028, the work zone on Vanderbilt Beach Road is on the beach side.
The Season's Dates, From the Vineyards Outward
The two projects run on separate schedules, along with a third project at the interstate. In date order:
- Now through the season: Daytime lane closures on the widening between US 41 and Fontana Del Sol Way, generally 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- November 22: The Iron Joe Turkey Ride & Walk at Eagle Lakes Park.
- End of 2026 or early 2027: Completion of the I-75 interchange work at SR 951, which includes ramp and flyover construction. The FDOT fact sheet estimates early 2027, while an advisory on FDOT's project page says end of 2026.
- Early 2027, if the bid goes as planned: Possible start of construction on the extension's Phase II. At the July 1 ceremony, Transportation Engineering director Jay Ahmad said the design was complete. He said the project would go out to bid, with construction hoped for early in the new year.
- Spring 2027: About two months with one lane each way between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road.
- Around mid-2028: The end of the widening's estimated two-year construction period, counted from the June 2026 notice to proceed.
Phase II will add about two more miles, from 16th Street NE to Everglades Boulevard. That includes a bridge over the Golden Gate Main Canal and a new signalized intersection at Everglades Boulevard. Naples Press reported a total Phase II budget of $49.5 million, including right-of-way acquisition that is already complete. The county says Phase II will be built as a two-lane road with a paved multi-use path, in a right-of-way wide enough to add lanes later. Naples Pathways expects the extra two miles to extend the trail to Everglades Boulevard as well.
How the Swap Changes Everyday Driving
The changes show up in the timing of everyday trips. Heading east past Collier Boulevard, the road now continues on new pavement past Olde Florida Golf Club and into Golden Gate Estates. Signals at Wilson Boulevard, 8th Street NE and 16th Street NE replace the old dead end. Heading west toward Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road, the road runs through an active work zone on weekday and Saturday afternoons until about mid-2028, with the tightest stretch, one lane each way, planned for spring 2027.
Road projects at both ends change how easy it is to get in and out of the Vineyards, and buyers will notice that. If you're thinking about selling during the construction years, Kevin L Fuller can explain how these changes may figure in your home's value. Request a Custom Home Valuation and we'll start from your street.
