CAPE CORAL, Fla. — On August 28, the City of Cape Coral will host a public hearing for the replacement of the Cape Coral Bridge.
The in-person open house portion will begin at 5 p.m., at Florida Southwestern State College where attendees can look at project materials and talk to the project team.
On Monday, two days ahead of that meeting, business owners near the bridge like David Close said he feared the impacts it could have on his business.
“It's gonna be detrimental for my business and parkway in general,” said Close.
In a preliminary report, it said the bridge is nearing the end of its lifespan.
Those documents said the westbound lanes were built 61 years ago and the eastbound lanes were built 35 years ago.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2026.
“It's gonna have to take a lot of planning, saving, and keeping things moving ..if not we may have to move somewhere else more convenient for customers,” said Close.
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In the project's overview, it said four lanes of traffic will be open throughout construction.
During that time, the new eastbound bridge will be built south of the current eastbound bridge.
Project documents say that 4 lanes of traffic will be offered - two in each direction.
Eventually, those documents explained that both of the current bridges would be demolished.
The new westbound bridge will be built in the footprint of the current bridges.
On Monday, the project’s overview said the new bridge could alleviate traffic congestion by increasing roadway capacity and enhancing travel for people on bikes.
The in-person public hearing is at the Florida Southwestern State College, 8099 College Parkway (Room U102), Fort Myers, Florida 33919.
Click here to connect online for the webinar.
Click here to complete a project survey.
