CAPE CORAL — We’ve learned five bridges across southwest Florida are in "poor" condition, according to the Federal Government.
This comes after a bridge in Stuart, FL was found to be in danger of collapsing earlier this week.
One of the bridges in our area is on El Dorado Parkway in Cape Coral. It sees more than 1,000 cars a day, but the "poor" designation means it either needs to be repaired or replaced.
“We still consider it safe to drive over. People shouldn’t be worried that it’s unsafe to be driving on, but it does mean that there are repairs necessary," said Zach Burch, with the Florida Department of Transportation.
But Burch said none of the roads in southwest Florida are as bad as the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart.
“We don’t have any bridges on this side that are anywhere near that level," said Burch.
`Still, Burch said that for the bridge in Cape Coral, and another over in Lehigh Acres on 8th St. SW, FDOT has now increased its inspections from the normal of once every two years.
“Once a bridge reaches that level where Federal Highway would consider it in poor condition, we would increase that to every year," said Burch.
We also asked Burch what could be done if a city or county couldn’t afford the repairs.
“We’ve worked with some of our counties on making repairs or replacements to some bridges in the local jurisdiction, but ultimately it’s their responsibility to keep on top of that and make sure that they’re going through the processes that they need to before, obviously before it gets to a point where it’s too late for that," said Burch.
That means ultimately, it’s Cape Coral’s job to make repairs to the bridge on El Dorado Parkway. We reached out to the City, and it responded with the following statement:
"The Florida Department of Transporation inspects the bridges in the City at least every two years. The bridge located on El Dorado Parkway over the Ailsa Canal is inspected annually by the DOT due to its National Bridge Inventory (NBI) rating. If any safety hazards exist, the bridge would be closed."
Here is a list of all five bridges rated "poor" in SWFL:
1) El Dorado Parkway over the Aisla Canal in Cape Coral
2) 8th St. SW over the Sailfish Canal in LeHigh Acres
3) Caxambas Ct. over Roberts Bay on Marco Island
4) Golden Gate Parkway over the Santa Barbara Canal in Collier County
5) County Road 846 over a drainage canal in Collier County
