FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:            Amy Davies, Lee County Department of Transportation
                          (941) 479-8589                  

SANIBEL CAUSEWAY CLOSURE AND REPAIRS UPDATE

FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 14, 2003) – The following is update information on the closure of the middle Sanibel Causeway Bridge this coming weekend:

•       The closing time has been moved back one hour to 10 p.m. to accommodate some restaurants and a Big ARTS festival.  Lee County will close the Sanibel Causeway to ALL traffic from about 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 for permanent repairs to the middle bridge.

•      The Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce (472-1080) is acting as a clearinghouse and coordinator for getting tourists on and off the island.  The plan that received the County Commission’s endorsement this morning is to use pontoon boats with Coast Guard-certified captains to run a ferry service between the Causeway island nearest Sanibel (island B) and Sanibel Harbour Resort.

      That Causeway island (B) will be used for transportation and drop-off/pick-up of people using the pontoon boats, which can beach at the spoil island.

•        The County Commission suspended tolls for the duration of the closure so people can get to the Causeway island nearest the mainland (island A) to fish and for recreation.

•        The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau is working with the Port Authority to ensure visitors getting off planes and traveling to Sanibel during the closure are aware of the situation and the transportation arrangements.  The VCB will have volunteers at the airport during this time to help passengers.  It also is putting together a list of vacancies and room rates for hotels on the mainland as a contingency measure.

•      The VCB will also activate a 24-hour hotline during the closure to answer questions.

•       LeeTran is putting together a plan for how it can help.  There will be future updates.

•       The Lee County EMS Helicopter will be on standby during the closure to take emergency patients off the island.  However, people with pre-existing conditions or in the late term of a pregnancy should also consider back-up plans.

•        The Board of County Commissioners declared a one-week (from Tuesday to Tuesday) state of local emergency at its meeting today so Chairman Ray Judah could act on behalf of the Board during the closure if items that need immediate action come up.

•     For city municipal service updates, visit the City of Sanibel’s web site at www.ci.sanibel.fl.us.