Sanibel Causeway
Encyclopedia
The Sanibel Causeway is a causeway
in Southwest Florida
that spans the San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island
with the Florida
mainland in South Fort Myers
. The causeway consists of three separate two-lane bridge spans, and two man-made causeway
islands, which are located between each of the three bridges. The entire causeway facility is owned and operated by the Lee County
Department of Transportation.
There is a six dollar toll in effect for island-bound vehicles only, and there is no additional toll for vehicles exiting the island. The toll facility accepts Florida's statewide "SunPass
" prepaid electronic toll collection
system, along with Lee County's "Leeway" prepaid toll system, which is also used on the Cape Coral Bridge
and the Midpoint Memorial Bridge
.
As drivers heading towards the island pass through the Toll Plaza located on the mainland in Punta Rassa
, they head west and cross Bridge A, and land on the first man-made causeway
island. On this first island, the road turns south, and then crosses Bridge B, which lands on a second causeway
island. After the second island, the road crosses Bridge C, which then lands on Sanibel Island
. The distance from the Toll Plaza to touchdown on Sanibel
is approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers).
to Sanibel since 1912. Construction on the entire causeway, and the three original bridges lasted 15 months and cost $2.73 million. Sanibel Island experienced major growth in the early 1970s due to the causeway. This led to Sanibel
's incorporation into Lee County's third city, which took place on November 5, 1974. Former CIA director Porter Goss
served as Sanibel
's first mayor.
In 1990, Lee County proposed the idea of replacing the original three-bridge causeway with a single four-lane high span bridge due to the age of the bridges. Many Sanibel
residents opposed the idea in a referendum
and it was later abandoned. Lee County made major repairs to the bridges in 1991 when they began to show signs of corrosion
from the salt water
. The deterioration continued and more repairs were made in 1997. In the early 2000s, The bridges continued to show signs of rapid deterioration from overall lack of maintenance and salt water corrosion, and in 2001, Lee County
made plans to replace Bridges B and C, and refurbish Bridge A (the drawbridge).
On January 6, 2003, during a routine inspection, severe cracks were discovered underneath a 48 feet (14.6 m) 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 10 mi/h, and the rest of the causeway's speed limit was lowered to 20 mi/h. A temporary 10-ton weight limit was put in place. Lee County determined that the 48 feet (14.6 m) deck section needed to be completely replaced as soon as possible. The county then made plans to close the causeway for an entire day in order to replace the section. This meant that Sanibel residents and business-owners would be completely cut off from the mainland for the day, and extensive preparations were made. The causeway was shut down all day on January 20, 2003, which was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The holiday was chosen since schools and government offices would be closed that day. The deck section was replaced with a steel grate section, since concrete would take a week to complete. The replacement was completed quickly, and the causeway re-opened ahead of schedule. After this turn of events, Lee County reexamined it original plan for rehabilitating Bridge A (the drawbridge), and concluded that all three of the bridges needed to be replaced.
On August 13, 2004, the area was struck by Hurricane Charley
, a Category 4 hurricane. The causeway received only minor damage and was very carefully inspected before Sanibel residents were permitted to return to the island.
Construction of the current bridges commenced in August 2004. The three dollar toll was increased to six dollars in November 2004 in order to finance construction. Construction on the current spans lasted three years, and cost $137 million. An official grand-opening ceremony for the current bridges was held on September 8, 2007, which was the day the current Bridge C opened (even though the current Bridges A and B opened prior to September 8).
The original bridges were later demolished, and their remains were sunk into the water to create a number of artificial reef
s in the San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico
.
. Bridge A is 70 feet (21.3 m) tall and stands as the tallest bridge in Lee County. The bridge previously holding this record was the nearby Matanzas Pass Bridge
, which is 65 feet (19.8 m) tall. The original Bridge A was a 26 feet (7.9 m) high drawbridge
.
Plans for replacing the drawbridge with a high-span bridge had been talked about since 1985, but were not made official until 2003, when Lee County concluded that the drawbridge (as well as the other two bridges) needed to be replaced. Many residents of the city of Sanibel
(which does not own the Causeway) were opposed to the construction of a high-span bridge, and pursued Lee County to either refurbish the drawbridge or replace it with another drawbridge. Shortly before construction was set to begin on the high-span bridge, the city filed a lawsuit against the 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.
During construction, one worker, Kent Crappell, was killed when a piling he was driving into place crumbled and collapsed. He immediately moved the crane so the piling would fall away from other workers and the existing bridge. The weight of the piling subsequently tipped over and crushed the cab of the crane, killing Crappell. Had Crappell not acted immediately, the piling would have fallen onto traffic on the existing bridge.
The current Bridge A finally opened for traffic on June 28, 2007, along with a new toll plaza. The following day, a private ceremony was conducted by the Sanibel-Captiva Optimists Club to commemorate the final opening of the drawbridge. The Sanibel-Captiva Optimists Club had held a raffle for the opportunity to be the operator of the drawbridge's machinery for its final opening. Seasonal Sanibel residents Bob and Ana Finks won the raffle, and they got to keep the operating lever from the drawbridge's control room as part of the prize. At the end of the ceremony, the drawbridge's draw spans were permanently left open. On October 30, 2007, during demolition of the drawbridge, the remains of the two bascule piers were imploded. Many Sanibel residents came to view the blast from the shore in Punta Rassa
. The blast itself was actually delayed an hour because some dolphin
s and a manatee
and came too close to the site before detonation, and crews had to wait for them to leave the area. Traffic on Bridge A was halted for about a half hour after the blast.
After demolition of the old bridge, the first few sets of piling on the south side were left in place, and are still standing today. They were left in place to be used to support a fishing pier. The weekend after the current bridge opened, a number of recreational fisherman used the old bridge as a fishing pier, leading to a grassroots
campaign to have part of the bridge left intact for that reason. The campaign succeeded, and Lee County planned to build new deck sections using the old bridge's pilings. The pier would resemble the fishing piers that were converted from parts of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge
in St. Petersburg. Although, as of 2011, construction has yet to begin on the pier, and it is unknown when it will happen, if ever.
s, followed by regular traffic. Similar to Bridge B, the current Bridge C was also constructed ten feet taller than the original bridge.
(2006) comedian Ron White
makes a reference to the old Sanibel Causeway bridge when he said he was pulled over for driving 11 mi/h in a 5 mile per hour zone on one of the bridges. The speed limit was indeed reduced to 10 mi/h on one of the bridges after speculation that the bridges were severely damaged from corrosion.
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
in Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida is a region of Florida , United States located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades...
that spans the San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
with the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
mainland in South Fort Myers
South Fort Myers, Florida
South Fort Myers is an unincorporated area of Lee County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000 the area had a population of 49,912....
. The causeway consists of three separate two-lane bridge spans, and two man-made causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
islands, which are located between each of the three bridges. The entire causeway facility is owned and operated by the Lee County
Lee County, Florida
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in southwest Florida, the principal cities in the county are Fort Myers and Cape Coral...
Department of Transportation.
There is a six dollar toll in effect for island-bound vehicles only, and there is no additional toll for vehicles exiting the island. The toll facility accepts Florida's statewide "SunPass
SunPass
SunPass is an electronic toll collection system in use by the State of Florida and was originally created by the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida's Turnpike...
" prepaid electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
system, along with Lee County's "Leeway" prepaid toll system, which is also used on the Cape Coral Bridge
Cape Coral Bridge
The Cape Coral Bridge is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It is made up of two parallel fixed spans, each long....
and the Midpoint Memorial Bridge
Midpoint Memorial Bridge
The Midpoint Memorial Bridge is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River, connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It is a four-lane fixed span one and one-quarter mile long...
.
As drivers heading towards the island pass through the Toll Plaza located on the mainland in Punta Rassa
Punta Rassa, Florida
Punta Rassa is a census-designated place in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, they head west and cross Bridge A, and land on the first man-made causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
island. On this first island, the road turns south, and then crosses Bridge B, which lands on a second causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
island. After the second island, the road crosses Bridge C, which then lands on Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
. The distance from the Toll Plaza to touchdown on Sanibel
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
is approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers).
History
The Sanibel Causeway originally opened for traffic on May 26, 1963, replacing a ferry boat service that ran from Punta RassaPunta Rassa, Florida
Punta Rassa is a census-designated place in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
to Sanibel since 1912. Construction on the entire causeway, and the three original bridges lasted 15 months and cost $2.73 million. Sanibel Island experienced major growth in the early 1970s due to the causeway. This led to Sanibel
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
's incorporation into Lee County's third city, which took place on November 5, 1974. Former CIA director Porter Goss
Porter J. Goss
Porter Johnston Goss is an American politician who was the first Director of National Intelligence and the last Director of Central Intelligence following the passage of the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which abolished the DCI position...
served as Sanibel
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
's first mayor.
In 1990, Lee County proposed the idea of replacing the original three-bridge causeway with a single four-lane high span bridge due to the age of the bridges. Many Sanibel
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
residents opposed the idea in a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
and it was later abandoned. Lee County made major repairs to the bridges in 1991 when they began to show signs of corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
from the salt water
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
. The deterioration continued and more repairs were made in 1997. In the early 2000s, The bridges continued to show signs of rapid deterioration from overall lack of maintenance and salt water corrosion, and in 2001, Lee County
Lee County, Florida
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in southwest Florida, the principal cities in the county are Fort Myers and Cape Coral...
made plans to replace Bridges B and C, and refurbish Bridge A (the drawbridge).
On January 6, 2003, during a routine inspection, severe cracks were discovered underneath a 48 feet (14.6 m) 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 10 mi/h, and the rest of the causeway's speed limit was lowered to 20 mi/h. A temporary 10-ton weight limit was put in place. Lee County determined that the 48 feet (14.6 m) deck section needed to be completely replaced as soon as possible. The county then made plans to close the causeway for an entire day in order to replace the section. This meant that Sanibel residents and business-owners would be completely cut off from the mainland for the day, and extensive preparations were made. The causeway was shut down all day on January 20, 2003, which was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The holiday was chosen since schools and government offices would be closed that day. The deck section was replaced with a steel grate section, since concrete would take a week to complete. The replacement was completed quickly, and the causeway re-opened ahead of schedule. After this turn of events, Lee County reexamined it original plan for rehabilitating Bridge A (the drawbridge), and concluded that all three of the bridges needed to be replaced.
On August 13, 2004, the area was struck by Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to August 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150 mph winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the...
, a Category 4 hurricane. The causeway received only minor damage and was very carefully inspected before Sanibel residents were permitted to return to the island.
Construction of the current bridges commenced in August 2004. The three dollar toll was increased to six dollars in November 2004 in order to finance construction. Construction on the current spans lasted three years, and cost $137 million. An official grand-opening ceremony for the current bridges was held on September 8, 2007, which was the day the current Bridge C opened (even though the current Bridges A and B opened prior to September 8).
The original bridges were later demolished, and their remains were sunk into the water to create a number of artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
s in the San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
Bridge A
Bridge A is the bridge closest to the mainland in South Fort MyersSouth Fort Myers, Florida
South Fort Myers is an unincorporated area of Lee County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000 the area had a population of 49,912....
. Bridge A is 70 feet (21.3 m) tall and stands as the tallest bridge in Lee County. The bridge previously holding this record was the nearby Matanzas Pass Bridge
Matanzas Pass Bridge
The Matanzas Pass Bridge is a bridge located in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. It carries State Road 865 between the Florida mainland and Estero Island, which is a major tourist destination. The bridge is one of the island's two connections to the mainland...
, which is 65 feet (19.8 m) tall. The original Bridge A was a 26 feet (7.9 m) high drawbridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
.
Plans for replacing the drawbridge with a high-span bridge had been talked about since 1985, but were not made official until 2003, when Lee County concluded that the drawbridge (as well as the other two bridges) needed to be replaced. Many residents of the city of Sanibel
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
(which does not own the Causeway) were opposed to the construction of a high-span bridge, and pursued Lee County to either refurbish the drawbridge or replace it with another drawbridge. Shortly before construction was set to begin on the high-span bridge, the city filed a lawsuit against the 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.
During construction, one worker, Kent Crappell, was killed when a piling he was driving into place crumbled and collapsed. He immediately moved the crane so the piling would fall away from other workers and the existing bridge. The weight of the piling subsequently tipped over and crushed the cab of the crane, killing Crappell. Had Crappell not acted immediately, the piling would have fallen onto traffic on the existing bridge.
The current Bridge A finally opened for traffic on June 28, 2007, along with a new toll plaza. The following day, a private ceremony was conducted by the Sanibel-Captiva Optimists Club to commemorate the final opening of the drawbridge. The Sanibel-Captiva Optimists Club had held a raffle for the opportunity to be the operator of the drawbridge's machinery for its final opening. Seasonal Sanibel residents Bob and Ana Finks won the raffle, and they got to keep the operating lever from the drawbridge's control room as part of the prize. At the end of the ceremony, the drawbridge's draw spans were permanently left open. On October 30, 2007, during demolition of the drawbridge, the remains of the two bascule piers were imploded. Many Sanibel residents came to view the blast from the shore in Punta Rassa
Punta Rassa, Florida
Punta Rassa is a census-designated place in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The blast itself was actually delayed an hour because some dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s and a manatee
Manatee
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
and came too close to the site before detonation, and crews had to wait for them to leave the area. Traffic on Bridge A was halted for about a half hour after the blast.
Bridge B
Bridge B is the middle bridge, and is also the shortest of the three bridges. The current Bridge B opened for traffic on April 11, 2007, making it the first of the current spans to open. The current Bridge B was built ten feet taller than the original Bridge B to help reduce corrosion from salt spray, which was one of the major factors in the deterioration of the old bridge. Unlike the other two bridges, Bridge B is a low-level bridge, and has no navigation channel passing underneath.After demolition of the old bridge, the first few sets of piling on the south side were left in place, and are still standing today. They were left in place to be used to support a fishing pier. The weekend after the current bridge opened, a number of recreational fisherman used the old bridge as a fishing pier, leading to a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
campaign to have part of the bridge left intact for that reason. The campaign succeeded, and Lee County planned to build new deck sections using the old bridge's pilings. The pier would resemble the fishing piers that were converted from parts of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet . It is part of I-275 and US 19 , connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough...
in St. Petersburg. Although, as of 2011, construction has yet to begin on the pier, and it is unknown when it will happen, if ever.
Bridge C
Bridge C is the closest bridge to Sanibel Island, and is also the longest of the three bridges. Bridge C's vertical clearance over its navigation channel is 26 feet (7.9 m). The current Bridge C opened for traffic on September 8, 2007, making it the last of the current spans to open. A grand-opening ceremony was held the same day to commemorate the completion of the current spans. As part of the grand opening ceremony, the first group of cars to cross the current Bridge C was a procession of classic carClassic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
s, followed by regular traffic. Similar to Bridge B, the current Bridge C was also constructed ten feet taller than the original bridge.
Media References
In Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the RoadBlue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road is a 2006 television film, and two-disc CD album.- Synopsis :Bill Engvall was the first performer, covering a variety of anecdotes including incidents with his son's trampoline, nearly being thrown off an airplane, his stressful time at a massage parlor,...
(2006) comedian Ron White
Ron White
Ronald "Ron" White is an American stand up comedian and satirist who has had two Grammy Award-nominations, and is RIAA certified 10x Platinum for CD and DVD sales of over 10 million units...
makes a reference to the old Sanibel Causeway bridge when he said he was pulled over for driving 11 mi/h in a 5 mile per hour zone on one of the bridges. The speed limit was indeed reduced to 10 mi/h on one of the bridges after speculation that the bridges were severely damaged from corrosion.