Sanibel Causeway

The Sanibel Causeway is a causeway in Southwest Florida that spans San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland in Punta Rassa. The causeway consists of three separate two-lane bridge spans, and two-man-made causeway islands between them. The bridges are not individually named and are inventoried by the county as simply bridges A, B, and C. The entire causeway facility is owned by Lee County and operated by the Lee County Department of Transportation (DOT). The causeway is long with a $6 toll for island-bound vehicles only. The causeway was originally built in 1963 and was rebuilt in 2007.

Portions of the causeway were destroyed by Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022 and reopened on October 19, 2022.

Route description

The Sanibel Causeway begins just west of the intersection of McGregor Boulevard and Punta Rassa Road in Punta Rassa. From here, it passes through the toll plaza and crosses the first bridge (Bridge A). Bridge A is a 70-foot tall fixed-span bridge and is the tallest bridge in Lee County. Bridge A crosses the primary navigation channel of San Carlos Bay and comes to the first causeway island. On the first island, the causeway turns south and crosses the second bridge (Bridge B). Bridge B is a low-level bridge and comes to the second causeway island. The causeway then crosses the third and final bridge (Bridge C) which connects the causeway to Sanibel Island. Bridge C is the longest of the three bridges and has a 26-foot vertical clearance over the navigation channel.

thumb|left|585px|Toll Plaza in Punta Rassa with causeway and bridges in the background

Causeway Islands Park

The two causeway islands are also operated as a public beach park known as Causeway Islands Park. The islands are a popular area among beachgoers for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

History

Background

As early as 1912, automobile ferries serviced Sanibel Island from the mainland at Punta Rassa. The idea of building a bridge from the mainland to the island was highly controversial amongst the early residents of the island, as many thought a bridge would ruin the beauty and isolated feel of the island. One of the largest proponents of building a bridge was island resident Hugo Lindgren, who saw the island's potential and tried to convince Lee County to build a bridge. Despite the opinions of the islanders, it was clear that the ferries were insufficient by the mid-1950s as demand increased leading to long lines of vehicles waiting to cross the bay. Wildfires on the island in 1955 further convinced the county to build a bridge as it would improve access to the island in emergency situations.

Planning and construction

An early proposal would have had a bridge running from Point Ybel (where the Sanibel Lighthouse is currently located) to the mainland, since it was the shortest route. The current route was ultimately selected due to the bay being shallower and two causeway islands could be created by dredging. While Bailey Road was initially planned to be the terminus of the bridge on the island, Hugo Lindgren granted the county right-of-way through his property on the bay, which the county accepted.

Opening and early years

thumb|left|Original Bridge C in 1969

The Sanibel Causeway was completed and opened for traffic on May 26, 1963.

During a routine inspection in early 2003, severe cracks were discovered underneath a deck section on Bridge B. After this discovery, all three of the bridges were very closely monitored, and the damaged section was braced with additional steel pilings. Bridge B's speed limit was temporarily lowered to , and the rest of the causeway's speed limit was lowered to . A temporary 10-ton weight limit was put in place. Lee County determined that the deck section needed to be completely replaced as soon as possible. After extensive preparations, the causeway was shut down all day on January 20, 2003 to replace the damaged deck section was replaced with a steel grate section. The replacement was completed quickly, and the causeway re-opened ahead of schedule. After this turn of events, Lee County reexamined its original plan for rehabilitating Bridge A (the drawbridge), and concluded that all three of the bridges needed to be replaced as soon as possible.

Replacing the bridges

left|thumb|The old drawbridge next to the current Bridge A as seen prior to demolition

Once it was decided to replace the drawbridge, a debate ensued on replacing it with another drawbridge versus a high-level fixed-span bridge. The county wanted a high-span, while a number of Sanibel residents wanted another drawbridge. Shortly before construction was set to begin on the high-span bridge, the city filed a lawsuit against Lee County in an attempt to stop construction. Sanibel claimed that Lee County did not maintain the bridges properly and used the toll revenue for other road projects. Lee County then filed a counter-lawsuit, claiming Sanibel was interfering with construction. A second lawsuit against Lee County was filed by a group of Sanibel residents who created a non-profit organization called "Save Our Bay, Inc." All of the lawsuits delayed construction and were eventually dismissed.

thumb|Bridge A in 2008

Construction of the current bridges commenced in May 2004. The lower level segments of the bridges were built taller than the original bridges to reduce corrosion from salt spray, which was one of the major factors in the deterioration of the original bridges. On August 13, 2004, the area was struck by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 hurricane. The causeway received minor damage and was inspected before Sanibel residents were permitted to return to the island. In November 2004, the $3 toll was increased to $6 to finance construction. Construction on the current bridges lasted three years and cost $137 million.

left|thumb|Bridge B in 2007

The first of the current bridges to open, Bridge B, opened for traffic on April 12, 2007. The current Bridge A opened for traffic on June 28, 2007, along with the current toll plaza. Bridge A is tall and stands as the tallest bridge in Lee County, which surpassed the nearby Matanzas Pass Bridge, which is tall.

right|thumb|Bridge C in 2008

The current Bridge C opened for traffic on September 8, 2007. An official grand opening ceremony for the completion of the bridge replacement was held the same day. The pilings have since been removed.

In March 2020, Lee County-owned toll bridges were temporarily transitioned to all-electronic tolling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This change became permanent on June 23, 2021. The $3 administrative fee for vehicles without transponders was suspended during the pandemic and was reinstated on October 1. The motorcycle discount plans were removed as part of the plan for a permanent transition to all-electronic tolling.

Hurricane Ian

thumb|A destroyed section of the Sanibel causeway following [[Hurricane Ian]]

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian partially destroyed the causeway, and the mainland approach was heavily damaged. Both the islands of Sanibel and Captiva were cut off from the mainland United States by road. No deaths or injuries were confirmed by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. After undergoing emergency repairs, the causeway reopened to trucks on October 11, and reopened to all vehicular traffic on October 20.

Permanent repairs to the causeway were completed in 2024. As part of this work, improvements were made to the causeway’s design to better withstand future storms without cutting off access to the mainland.

Media references

In Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road (2006), comedian Ron White makes a reference to the old Sanibel Causeway bridge when he said he was pulled over for driving in a 5-mile-per-hour zone on one of the bridges. The speed limit was indeed reduced to on one of the bridges after speculation that the bridges were severely damaged from corrosion.

References

External links

Webpage for the toll bridge on the Lee County government website
Webpage for the causeway islands park on the Lee County government website