FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 30, 2002) – The Lee County Department of Transportation is scheduled to begin emergency repairs to Matlacha Bridge on Monday, February 11 and last for up to six weeks.
No lanes of traffic will be closed during the day.
However, on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 14, the bridge will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to allow for certain kinds of repairs. During that time, the EMS helicopter and an ambulance on each side of the bridge will be kept on standby for transporting medical emergencies, and there will be unscheduled openings to traffic during the night when work allows.
The main work will be to the bridge’s corroded stringers and webs.
At its meeting Tuesday (Feb. 5), the Board of Lee County Commissioners will be asked to approve a $72,274 contract with Coastal Marine Construction for the repairs.
The backup at the bridge on Monday was due to an annual inspection performed by the Florida Department of Transportation.
In December, after an inspection report, Lee DOT posted the Matlacha Bridge for a 15-ton load limit on the recommendation of its consultant. The department is issuing (free) overweight permits for standard load (40-ton) trucks to cross the structure one vehicle at a time at a constant speed of 10 miles per hour. For permit information or questions, please contact Betsy Rowan at 479-8511.
The department also is in the process of preparing a scope of services to advertise for a design consultant to evaluate and prepare a design/rehabilitation plan for the structure that will address long-range concerns.
Lee County’s Transportation Department plans, builds, expands and maintains county roads, bridges, ditches and landscaping in the unincorporated areas of Lee County. It also maintains the county traffic signal system and operates the toll facilities on the Midpoint Memorial, Cape Coral and Sanibel Causeway bridges. It employs 374 and has an annual operating budget of $32.9 million.