The death of a Port Charlotte man in a three-car crash on North River Road last week is another reminder of the danger of this two-lane highway and the continuing need to improve and widen the road.

The problem, of course, is the cost, most recently estimated at $80 million-plus. The reality is that no one knows for sure how much it will cost to construct the long-awaited Englewood Interstate Connector. It’s a lot, there are other needy road projects in the region and no big pot of highway money has fallen out of the sky.