County OKs Cape Coral Bridge replacement

Feb 21, 2023 By Breeze Staff Report 5 min read

The 60-year-old Cape Coral Bridge will be replaced with a new six-lane, near $219 million rebuild.

The Lee County Commission formalized its earlier consensus Tuesday to construct two totally new spans, each featuring three traffic lanes as well as bike and breakdown lanes, rather than rebuild only the westbound lanes and widen the parallel eastbound lanes as vessel collision protection system.

The project will help alleviate congestion that occurs on and around the bridge every work day in Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

“This is excellent news for our residents, visitors, and workforce. The bridge enhancements will alleviate traffic for all who live, work, learn, and play in our ever-growing city,” said city of Cape Coral spokesperson Kaitlyn Mullen. “The new bridge will benefit economic development with improved traffic flow, reducing congestion.”

Donna Germain, president and CEO of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, hailed the news as something that, once completed, will be a boon to the city.

“Like any project of this scale, we may see some challenges during construction. I believe once completed, it will be a much-needed improvement to the gateway to our city,” Germain said via e-mail. “Cape Coral is very supportive of its business community; I do not expect that to change during the construction process.”

“Our bridges are getting older and combined with our continued growth as a community, improvements to our infrastructure are a necessity,” she added. “We are also excited for the improvements proposed like the walking path.”

The rejected option would come it at an estimated $20 million less but the expanded span would have had a much shorter traffic life – 35 years as compared the new bridge’s 75.

“The design changes for the Cape Coral Bridge are to replace both the eastbound and westbound spans gaining an additional 40-plus years of useful life at the present-day value of $20 million,” officials said in a release announcing the vote.

Initial plans were for the cheaper option. However, the latest Florida Department of Transportation design requirements would have significantly increased the cost of widening the eastbound lanes, officials said.

“It made no sense to repair a bridge that would last another 35 years versus doing a project that will last 75 to 100 years for virtually the same amount of money. It was the best use of the tax payers’ dollars,” County Commissioner Brian Hamman said.

Construction is slated to begin in 2027. The Cape Coral Bridge will remain open and the current four-lane configuration will be maintained throughout construction.

The Jan. 21 vote was one of three Commission votes approving bridge construction.

Commissioners also voted to award a construction contract to replace the Big Carlos Pass Bridge, as well as to approve resiliency measures and recreational amenities for the Sanibel Causeway.

The Big Carlos Pass Bridge connects the south end of Fort Myers Beach to Lover’s Key on Estero Boulevard. The $90.8 million construction contract with Superior Construction Co. Southeast LLC includes a new fixed span bridge with a 60-foot navigation clearance over Big Carlos Pass and a fishing pier. It also will include pedestrian/bicycle-friendly features, officials said.

The new bridge will be constructed on the Gulf side of the existing bridge. Motorists will continue to have access to the old bridge throughout construction.

The new structure will include one travel lane in each direction, bicycle lanes, a 6-foot-wide sidewalk along the north side of Estero Boulevard and a 10-foot shared use path along the south side of Estero Boulevard. The project also includes installation of new infrastructure for Lee County Utilities and Bonita Springs Utilities.

Construction is expected to begin in late spring. The construction contract also includes creation of an offshore artificial reef using the old bridge.

Plans for the Sanibel Causeway began in February 2022 when the Lee Board of County Commissioners directed staff to design additional improvements to the recreational area amenities along the spoil islands. Those amenities were to include a bike lane, turn lanes, designated parking areas and recreational improvements.

After Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage to the causeway in September 2022, FDOT completed temporary repairs and then hired a contractor to make permanent repairs.

“The FDOT team has recommended numerous resiliency measures as a part of the design, including sheet pile walls, rip rap, gabion baskets and landscaping improvements to help stabilize the roadway and Causeway Islands,” county officials said.

At their Feb. 6 workshop, commissioners reached consensus to incorporate the resiliency measures along with the previously approved recreational amenities into the FDOT project. The cost of the improvements to the Sanibel Causeway as a part of FDOT’s proposed permanent repairs is $285.3 million, of which Federal Highway Administration would fund $239.3 million and Lee County would be responsible for $46.1 million. Lee County is responsible for the $5.6 million needed for recreational amenities.

To watch the board’s workshop on the Cape Coral Bridge and the Sanibel Causeway, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK6vdjmwb7M.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated wo include comment from local officials.

To reach Breeze Staff Report, please email news@breezenewspapers.com