Quality Enterprises Makes Community Impact in Immokalee

Every mile of sidewalk, every pedestrian sign, and every drainage enhancement benefits the hardworking residents of Immokalee. These improvements support workers commuting to their jobs, students traveling to school, and families navigating their community each day. The Immokalee Area Improvements – TIGER Grant Project represents more than infrastructure improvements; it reflects Quality Enterprises’ ongoing investment in the safety, connectivity, and future of Immokalee.

Project Details and Scope

The project was designed to address acute, local needs through a national infrastructure improvement initiative. In Immokalee, Florida, residents faced a lack of adequate basic infrastructure: sidewalks, bike lanes, and functioning stormwater drainage. 

In 2009, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) began a supplementary discretionary grant program for investments in surface transportation projects. Grant funding secured by Collier County provided the capital needed to undertake extensive infrastructure improvements in Immokalee. The vision for Immokalee solidified in a three-year Design-Build project that included:

• 20 miles of sidewalk
• Over 600 drainage structures
• 40,000 linear feet of stormwater piping
• 4.5 miles of bike boulevard improvements, including pavement striping and way-finding signage
• 1 mile of multi-use pathway
• A new bus transfer station for Collier Area Transit
• 9 new bus shelters
• 162 street lighting fixtures
• 5 miles of continuous street lighting

Quality Enterprises, in collaboration with the Engineer of Record (EOR), Pape-Dawson, divided the project into five phases, allowing design, permitting, and construction activities to progress efficiently at an accelerated pace. This phased Design-Build approach enabled construction to begin in completed sections of the project while design and permitting efforts continued on subsequent phases, significantly reducing the overall project schedule. The project provided QE the opportunity to demonstrate our teams’ experience and construction technology. 

From the inception of the project, QE understood the time constraints set forth by the TIGER Grant and took advantage of new technologies and innovations to meet key deadlines.

For the engineering, QE with the assistance of Pape-Dawson, utilized LiDAR drone technology to map miles of Immokalee neighborhoods and to establish a baseline working model for the project. From the data captured by drone, Pape-Dawson designed the sidewalk and drainage improvements.

During construction, Quality Enterprises in collaboration with QE Concrete  used a Wirtgen SP 25i Concrete Slipform Paver to pave the miles of sidewalk. The equipment eliminated the need for sidewalk forms and additional surveying. The machine features Grade Control technology, allowing operators to maintain precise height, depth, and cross-slope while paving. This technology saved numerous hours and allowed the team to place up to 1500 linear feet of five-foot-wide sidewalk in a single shift.

The Immokalee bus transfer station for Collier Area Transit was a unique feature of the project scope. The facility is considered a land development project and needed special permitting from the County’s growth management department. Many design professionals were involved, including architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and landscapers. It was the perfect opportunity for QE to demonstrate versatility as a heavy civil construction firm by tackling a vertical construction project.

Community Impact

To QE, the project was about more than sidewalks and swales. Before, during, and after construction, community impact was at the forefront.

During the project, protecting motorists and pedestrians was critical. QE established a Safety Committee for the project consisting of field personnel, management, and our safety consulting partner, Safe Site Consulting. Together, our Safety Committee and other outside organizations established measures to maintain public safety. Public awareness campaigns played an important role in keeping residents informed of work locations and safety protocols. Individual conversations with local leaders prompted additional safety improvements. For example, QE worked with the principal of a high school in the project area to manage pedestrian traffic for a popular after-school program. The project team made use of a raised mid-block crosswalk with a Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) to slow vehicles and create a safer crossing for students. Quality Enterprises’ dedication to the wellbeing of team members and affected members of the public resulted in a perfect safety record through the entire course of the project.

Many months following the completion of the project, the community continues to experience the benefits of these infrastructure improvements. Adriana V., a local resident, reflects:

Adding sidewalks gives a lot of people a safer way to get around, especially since many residents walk or ride their bikes to school and work. The new bus stops also make good use of an area that doesn’t get used much while providing a service that the community really needs.

A teacher at Immokalee High School noted that many of his students are using the newly constructed sidewalks to walk to school. Ordinary stories like this show why infrastructure improvements are vital for community safety and success.

The County estimates the infrastructure improvements will garner $26.6 million in household transportation cost savings, $11 million in reduced healthcare costs due to increased activity, $2 million in traffic congestion cost savings, and improved access to more than 7,000 jobs. In the decades to follow, QE’s improvements will continue to benefit Immokalee for decades to come.

Environmental Impact

For Quality Enterprises, supporting our communities includes promoting environmental resilience and well-being. This vital project not only improved the quality of life for Immokalee residents, but it also secured a thriving future for the environment.

The flooding issues that were central to the project scope were the cause of years of erosion. By adding sidewalks, enhancing drainage with new underground stormwater piping to supplement existing swales, and relocating existing swales, localized flooding issues were successfully eliminated.

From start to finish, the project was engineered to improve environmental conditions and enhance resilience. In addition to drainage improvements and flooding mitigation, infrastructure improvements made cycling and walking more convenient for residents. In a community where walking and cycling are common, making these alternative modes of transportation more feasible will deliver environmental benefits for generations to come. The project team even went so far as to ensure sidewalks were paved adjacent to existing shade trees whenever possible to lower surface temperatures and make walking more comfortable. By reducing reliance on motor vehicles, the community reaps the benefits of reduced emissions and water pollution.

APWA Florida Chapter Project of the Year Award

This year, the American Public Works Association (APWA) Florida Chapter awarded one of its two Transportation Project Awards to Quality Enterprises’ Immokalee Area Improvements – TIGER Grant Project. As the second-largest APWA chapter, APWA Florida Chapter represents excellence in public works services. Receiving the award underscores the positive impact and benefits the project delivered to the community.

The Immokalee Area Improvements – TIGER Grant Project embodies the spirit of Quality Enterprises. For QE, every project is about teamwork, supporting the community, and innovating to create infrastructure that serves many generations to come. Every project is an opportunity to build the future.