The community has an opportunity to provide input on the new Cape Coral Bridge.

A hybrid meeting for the Cape Coral Bridge Project Development and Environmental Study was held at Florida Southwestern State College Wednesday night, providing an overview, as well as an opportunity for community members to provide a comment in person, or virtually until Sept. 11.

The proposed design of the new bridge has a 75-year lifespan. The total estimated construction cost is $263.53 million, and the preliminary estimate of the total project cost is $325.48 million.

The right-of-way acquisition and construction phase of the project is not currently funded. The anticipated completion of the PD&E study is January 2025.

About 32 minutes of the more than hour meeting consisted of a video presentation of the study. There were many renderings shown of what the proposed bridge enhancement would look like on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River.

The video began by explaining what the PD&E study entails — evaluates engineering and environmental data and documents concerns, economic costs, social and environmental impacts and concludes with location design concept acceptance and FDOT OEM approval.

The study evaluates potential improvements to the Cape Coral bridge that connects Cape Coral Parkway to College Parkway. The study area corridor is west of the Del Prado Boulevard intersection to the McGregor Boulevard intersection, 2.30 miles in length.

The purpose of the project is to address roadway capacity, as well as such other goals as to reduce emergency evacuation times and accommodate multi-modal activity within the corridor.

The westbound bridge, built in 1963, has a design life of 50 years. The bridge is in fair condition and has substandard shoulders and bridge barriers.

The east bound bridge, built in 1989, has a design life of 75 years and is in very good condition.

The presentation highlighted the design year 2045 traffic volumes, which ranges from 67,000 to 70,500 vehicles per day.

Between 2017 and 2022 there were 422 vehicular crashes within the study corridor — 262 crashes were intersection related. The highest level of crashes took place at McGregor Boulevard and Southeast 17th Place with 237 rear end crashes — one bicycle related, one fatality and 31 total injury crashes.

There were two alternatives presented for the bridge on June 20 of last year. The first alternative was selected, as well as keeping the no-build alternative in play.

The preferred alternative would provide six-lane roadways and intersection improvements, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

The video stated that throughout the study a no-build alternative is also considered, which assumes no alternatives would be had for the Cape Coral bridge project limits from Del Prado Boulevard to McGregor Boulevard to year 2045. There would only be routine maintenance to existing roads and bridges.

The video went into depth regarding the preferred alternative with the four typical sections along the corridor for the six-lane divided roadway.

The first typical section would include three 11-foot travel lanes in each direction, separated by a 10-foot median with a two foot concreate barrier and 4-foot paved shoulders on either side. It would also include 8-foot sidewalks in each direction adjacent to the existing right-of-way. It would maintain the existing 35 miles per hour speed.

The second typical section would include two parallel high-level structures spanning the Caloosahatchee River. There would be six lanes of traffic on the bridge, again with three 11-foot travel lanes in each direction. There would be 10-foot paved inside and outside shoulders, as well as 10-foot sidewalks in each direction. The median width that is proposed ranges from 25-feet to 126-feet. The proposed speed limit would remain at 45 miles per hour.

The third preferred typical alternative — east of the bridge to west of McGregor Boulevard consists of two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction with 2-foot inside shoulders and an inside concrete median barrier to protect against the existing overpass structure. There would be 6 to 8-foot sidewalks in each direction.

The fourth section would consist of two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction, as well as two turn lanes going northbound. There are also two 11-foot travel lanes, as well as an emerge lane going southbound. There are also 6-foot sidewalks in each direction.

There is a U-turn ramp proposed on the west side of the Cape Coral bridge for the east bound direction on Cape Coral Parkway. There is also a U-turn ramp on the east side of the Cape Coral bridge for the existing frontal road at Caloosa Club and Racquet Drive.

On the Cape Coral side of the bridge there are proposed enhancements to Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard for the proposed six lanes.

Those improvements would be three dedicated southbound, eastbound left turn lanes with three through lanes. The westbound roadway would also have three through lanes. The northbound to eastbound traffic would have a dedicated receiving lane to the right turn lane, which would eliminate the current need to merge into traffic.

The enhancement would include an additional lane for three lanes along Cape Coral Parkway. To accommodate this, inside widening into the existing median is proposed, as well as the repurposing of the center left turn lane. There would also be a concrete median barrier to separate the opposing traffic along the parkway.

There is also discussion regarding moving the Veterans Memorial Monument, as it cannot remain in its current location because of the new lanes being added to Cape Coral Parkway. It can either be moved or reconstructed at a new location, a decision still being determined.

There would also be new sidewalks from 8-feet to 10-feet in width along both sides of the parkway, which will be integrated into the new proposed pedestrian bridge located at Bernice Bradon Park. The accommodations for the bicycles and pedestrians also have barriers separating them from vehicular traffic and as land is approached on either side of the river, become separated from the main bridges.

There will be a single lane frontage road west bound to east bound U-turn under the proposed bridge at the park.

There will be an electronic toll entry on the westbound lanes of the bridge, replacing the current toll plaza.

Once on the Fort Myers side of the bridge, proposed changes have been made to the entrance of the Caloosa Yacht and Racquet Club by eliminating the traffic light. To head east, the residents would have to travel towards the river and make a U-turn and head towards the intersection at McGregor Boulevard.

The video also showed significant shoreline protection, as a result of what was learned from Hurricane Ian. There will be rubble riffraff, combined with anchored seawalls around each end of the causeway. There are also stormwater ponds on the last two spans of the bridge.

The community can continue to make comments until Sept. 11 on the project, which will be used to make final recommendations to the FDOT office. Project documents can also be viewed at the Cape Coral Lee County Public Library.

Comments can be made online at capecoralbridgeproject.com, or by emailing, or mailing comments to Project Manager Vince Miller, PE, at info@capecoralbridgeproject.com, or 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers, Fl 33901.