Sanibel's traffic dilemma: Getting on and off the island requires new levels of patience

What's currently happening with Sanibel traffic is something that maybe could not have been predicted, but should have been expected.

Social media sites tied to Sanibel have been a popular place to vent about the time it is taking to get on and off the popular Gulf of Mexico barrier island. Some people, including employees who work for Sanibel businesses, are reporting two- to three-hour waits in traffic to cross the causeway.

Needless to say, frustration levels are at an all-time high, and we haven't hit the peak of snowbird and tourist season yet.

People are posting photos and comments in Facebook groups, sharing their misery with the rest of the world and asking the obvious questions: When is is this going to end? Why is this happening?

The latter question is the easier of the two questions to answer. It's because of the ongoing restoration of the Sanibel causeway, which was significantly damaged when Hurricane Ian clobbered Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022.

The Florida Department of Transportation is managing the restoration, providing frequent updates on its Facebook page. The City of Sanibel is also keeping the public informed on its website and in newsletters.

John Lai, the president and CEO of the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce, is well aware of the traffic stress. Lai agreed to do a Q&A to shed light on the reasons for the traffic jams, the communication he has had with FDOT and the City of Sanibel and what to expect as the new year begins.

First, some perspective:

• RESIDENTS: Lai said there are currently 1,560 people living full-time on Sanibel. Before Ian, that number was 7,400. People staying on island including hotel guests would swell to up to 70,000 in season before Hurricane Ian.

• RESTAURANTS: There are currently 38 restaurants operating on the island. Before Ian, that number was 210.

• LODGING: There are 12 resorts/cottage properties open at this time. However, when you combine the number of Vacation Rental companies with this, there are 32 lodging options.

Q. What is your concern level, maybe on a scale of 1-10, with traffic stress right now? Would you call this a crisis?

LAI: With any barrier to entry my concern is a 10 and this is no different. However, because this is short term and there is a method to the madness, I would not call it a crisis … yet.

Q. What is your reaction to a Facebook post where someone who works on Sanibel saying a two- to three-hour commute to the island isn't sustainable?

LAI: I’d absolutely agree with that statement; however, I believe that once the roadwork is completed at the end of December, traffic becomes more of a normal seasonal pattern. We are currently seeing traffic counts down approximately 3,000 cars per day from pre-storm counts, which tells me that this is not an issue caused by volume but strictly by the lane closures and construction-related issues. My take is that sustainability is not a requirement.

Q. What is the message you would want to share right now with residents and visitors regarding the traffic and visiting Sanibel and supporting the businesses that are open?

LAI: It’s undeniable. Every step of this recovery has been difficult, including the bridge repairs and the traffic that has come with it. However, every step has also been filled with optimism and an expectation to build back better than before. I encourage residents and businesses to continue to exercise patience and to continue to prop each other up. Our visitors see Hurricane Ian in the rearview mirror; however, [they] see it through our windshield every single day. In order for us to expedite the economic recovery of our islands, it lies squarely on the shoulders of our residents and businesses to consistently reflect the optimism and expectations that things are going to be better and let the hope of the future carry us through the challenges of today.

Q. What are you hearing from business owners?

LAI: They are concerned. Should this traffic pattern not change by the end of this month, it will absolutely impact business and staffing.

Q. Have you been in contact with FDOT regarding those peak traffic times and seeing if they can shut things down to allieviate some of the traffic jams? Or, is that not really going to make things better?

LAI: We communicate weekly with FDOT, and while shutting down is an option that we’ve discussed it would only delay the project, pushing it further into season. From an economic perspective, pushing this project into January could hurt our businesses more.

Q. Were you anticipating this? In other words, we know last year was completely different because if Ian. Now, with more than a year since Ian (15 months), visitors are likely more confident in traveling to Sanibel and even though there is limited space to stay on the island, not as many restaurants open, they still want to go to the beaches and support the businesses they can.

LAI: Absolutely we anticipated this. Last year visitors who did come EXPECTED to be inconvenienced. This year the pent-up demand has brought them down in greater numbers, but as I mentioned earlier, they see Ian as being in a rearview mirror. We have to finish this project sooner than later to get as close to their expectations as we can.

Q. Once we get through the holidays and hit January, the number of people coming into the market will grow even more until April. Could this actually get worse?

LAI: I don’t see that being the case and I sure do hope that I’m right. Our beach renourishment puts 250-300 loads of sand on the causeway each day, but if all lanes are open and we continue on the traffic count trendline that we are on we should be back to normal seasonal traffic patterns.

Q. At the end of the day, is this just part of the pain that goes with recovery after a historic hurricane like Ian? In other words, people are just going to have to put up with it and do their best for a stretch of time, knowing that eventually, everything will be great again.

LAI: Absolutely, yes. Without a doubt. We discuss this on island quite frequently. When we allow ourselves to remember how we felt a year ago, we remember the sense of despair and the worst-case scenarios that ran in our minds. Had you told a lot of us then that we would be well on our way to both a physical and economic recovery by the end of 2023, we would have been elated.

Q. What is FDOT projecting for a finish date for the causeway restoration?

LAI: Road work will be completed by 12/30/23. It then gets turned over to Lee County DOT to restore the spoil islands. The complete project is scheduled for completion in 2027.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel causeway traffic caused by restoration project after Ian