FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

BRACES BEING PLACED UNDER SANIBEL CAUSEWAY SPAN "C"

FORT MYERS, Fla. (February 4, 2003) - Lee County's Department of Transportation is placing braces under Sanibel Causeway bridge "C" after cracks were found during a recent emergency inspection.

The cracks are not as severe as those found on bridge "B" last month that required a portion of that bridge to be replaced. However, they did enlarge slightly during a monitoring period last week and it has been determined that supports should be placed under the span as a precautionary measure.

The braces will be placed under each of the beams at the quarter points of the span. The work should take about a week to complete. There will be no disruption in traffic as the repairs are being made because the work is done underneath the bridge.

On Monday (Feb. 3), Lee DOT and the City of Sanibel announced they are joining forces to provide stricter speed and weight enforcement on the Sanibel Causeway to protect the causeway bridges from being further damaged. The speed limit on the causeway is 35 miles per hour and the posted weight limit is 34 tons. The plan:

Effective immediately, weight and speed limits will be enforced by using extra deputies from the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

• A grace period of sorts will allow for overweight trucks at the weigh station scales to be turned around and return to the mainland to lighten their loads (traveling back over the drawbridge). This is at the deputy's discretion.
• At some point, however, strict enforcement will require that overweight trucks at the weigh station be kept on the center causeway island until another truck can come to the station to split the load (no option to return to the mainland).

In addition, Lee DOT is urging motorists to strictly adhere to the speed limits on the bridge. In many cases, speed is more harmful than weight because it intensifies the weight that stresses the bridges.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the emergency inspection after a 48-foot portion of the "B" span was replaced on Jan. 20. Kissinger Campo & Associates is being paid $29,000 to perform an in-depth inspection of the B and C spans, a process that could take another two weeks. For more information and updates on the causeway repairs and plans, visit lee-county.com or mysanibel.com.

Note to media: the county respects the need to film and photograph the repairs. However, it is requesting that reporters not interview the workers because of the disruption to their work. Amy Davies will be happy to coordinate all interviews.