Has work started on the Sanibel Causeway? Florida awards contract for bridge repairs

Ashley White and Julius Whigham II, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
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Crews started temporary repair work on the Sanibel Causeway with the goal of having work completed by the end of October.

Florida’s Department of Transportation awarded a contract Tuesday to begin temporary repairs on the bridge, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Thursday afternoon in Nokomis in Sarasota County,

The bridge to the barrier island was damaged during Hurricane Ian making it inaccessible by vehicles, cutting off residents and repair crews.

Authorities say documented property and business owners can take private boats to private docks between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. No one can stay overnight, and those who go to the island must leave by 7 p.m.

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The city is issuing Hurricane Re-entry Passes at the Sanibel Meeting Room in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 13051 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Pine Island Bridge repairs finished in three days

Crews completed repairs to the Pine Island Bridge in three days. DeSantis said the state is looking into other means to get repair crews onto Sanibel Island while the causeway undergoes repairs.

The repairs made to the causeway won't be a permanent solution and and will be more difficult because the causeway is "severed in more locations than Pine Island," DeSantis said.

“I don’t want to have to have it out for a year by doing a new bridge or something, so we’re going to do something like we did with Pine Island,” he said. “It’s going to take a little bit longer because it’s a more significant effort.

"But, in the meantime, we want people working on the island right now, (doing) debris pit removal, electrical and continue working up until the temporary repairs are done. I don’t want to do nothing for three weeks, or however long it’s going to take, so we’re working on ways to get people there right now.”

DeSantis said the state will open two additional disaster recovery centers Friday, one in North Port and another in Fort Myers, with workers able to answer residents' questions about filing for state or federal disaster recovery assistance.

There also will be a center opening this week in Charlotte County, DeSantis said.

DeSantis said about 200,000 people statewide remained without power Thursday afternoon, with areas such as Fort Myers Beach requiring a rebuild of the electrical grid.

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel Causeway repairs begin after Hurricane Ian damages bridge