Repairs to Sanibel Causeway, damaged by Hurricane Ian, completed a week ahead of schedule, DeSantis says
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that access to Sanibel Island has been restored for all vehicular traffic after Hurricane Ian wiped out several sections of the Sanibel Causeway, making it impassable.
PHOTOS: Sanibel Causeway before and after images of damages, repairs
The governor said the work was completed over a week ahead of schedule on the three-mile bridge, a development that could help the island recover faster from the catastrophic damage left by the storm.
"Cutting through bureaucratic red tape and delivering on our promise to get Sanibel Island up and running has been a top priority," DeSantis said in a written statement. "By restoring access over the causeway, repair crews, first responders, emergency vehicles, business owners and residents will be better able to expedite recovery from this storm."
Sanibel Island was cut off from the mainland as Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida earlier this month.
An estimated 6,400 people reside in Sanibel as of April 2021, according to the US Census Bureau.
The island is also home to a number of hotels and resorts and sees a significant amount of tourists each year.
When the storm damaged the bridge, it virtually wiped out all access between the island and mainland.
DeSantis directed the state transportation department on Oct. 4 to prioritize repairs to the Sanibel Causeway, and officials estimated that repairs would be done by the end of October.
"I am grateful for our dedicated team members who quite literally built a road in the Gulf in 15 days," said Jared W. Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation. "While the bridges were largely undamaged by the storm, portions of the causeway which connect bridge structures together were washed away by Hurricane Ian, leaving the bridges unconnected to the mainland or the island. A project like this, under normal circumstances, could take months. However, FDOT, along with our law enforcement partners at the Florida Highway Patrol, Lee County and Florida Department of Emergency Management made use of strategic and innovative techniques to rebuild the causeways quickly."
