Causeway fishing pier planned
Spoil island will also become county parks
BY JEFF CULL jcull@florida-weekly.com

This illustration by Florida Weekly shows what the 300-foot long public fishing pier at the Sanibel Causeway might look like.

Lee County's turning part of the old Sanibel Causeway into a fishing pier and the county parks department will take over the spoil islands and operate them as parks, officials said last week.

About 300 feet of the old middle or 'B' span will be transformed from a vehicle bridge into a fishing platform with a new concrete deck and more fishing-friendly guardrails, said Paul Wingard, deputy director of the Lee County Department of Transportation.

"We're taking out the deck and the concrete girders, those were the ones we had problems with in the past, and we're going to replace them with flat concrete slabs," Wingard said.

The middle span of the causeway was patched with steel grids and columns in 2003 after severe cracks were found in a support beam. Traffic to and from Sanibel Island - the causeway's the only link to the mainland - was disrupted for weeks as road crews worked to stabilize the bridge and protect the public.

What will be left after demolition are the pilings and piers. The flat concrete slabs will span from pier to pier and will actually be closer to the water, Wingard said.

Parking will still be available on the spoil island with few changes but Wingard said that once the project is turned over to the county's parks and recreation department, parking could be expanded.

That's a departure from previous years when DOT maintained the spoil islands as road right-of-way.

The county will now operate the islands as parks.

"Our focus is a little different," said John Yarbrough, the county's parks director.

While the location of the fishing pier is tentatively set for the 300-feet of the middle bridge closest to the mainland, it could change.

"We'll start the design work very soon - in the next two to three months," Yarbrough said.

Wingard said the location of the pier was based on input from fishermen. "We found it was the best area for fishing."

Anglers were delighted with the county plan.

"That's good news," said Shane Edgar, 20, an avid fisherman. "The Sanibel pier isn't very big so another pier - you can't go wrong."

The project will cost about $1.5 million. The Tourist Development Council has already pledged $200,000 to get the design work started. In addition to the pier, Yarbrough said the islands will likely have new and remodeled restrooms and could have additional parking.

Lee County is in the final stages of completing the new Sanibel Causeway to replace the old bridges built in 1962. Traffic began using the new center or 'B' span two weeks ago, giving crews the chance to demolish the portion of the bridge that will not be used for the fishing pier. The other bridges, spans 'A' and 'C,' will be completely demolished when the new bridges open for traffic. The bridge replacing the old drawbridge is expected to be open next month while the bridge closest to Sanibel will open in August. Other public fishing piers in Lee County include the Matlacha Bridge and the Fort Myers Beach pier.