Bonita Beach Causeway

The Bonita Beach Causeway is a series of four low-level bridges located in Southwest Florida traversing the barrier islands of Estero Bay connecting the town of Fort Myers Beach with Bonita Springs. It carries Estero Boulevard (County Road 865) and is four miles (6.4 km) long from end to end. Each bridge on the Bonita Beach Causeway is named after the body of water it crosses.

Bonita Beach Causeway
Big Carlos Pass Bridge
Coordinates26°24′16″N 81°52′51″W
Carries CR 865 (Estero Boulevard)
CrossesBig Carlos Pass
Little Carlos Pass
New Pass
Big Hickory Pass
LocaleBonita Springs, Florida
Maintained byLee County Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design1 steel bascule bridge & 3 concrete girder bridges
Total length4 Miles
History
OpenedJuly 4, 1965
Statistics
TollNone
Location

Route description

Estero Boulevard (which crosses the causeway) begins just south of the Bonita Beach Causeway on Little Hickory Island, splitting off from Hickory Boulevard (County Road 865). It heads north and crosses Big Hickory Pass Bridge, which lands on Big Hickory Island. After a short distance, it then crosses the New Pass Bridge, and lands on Long Key, and enters the Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park. After crossing the Little Carlos Pass Bridge onto Black Key, Estero Boulevard turns west and crosses the Big Carlos Pass Bridge, a small single-leaf drawbridge, onto Estero Island, and the town of Fort Myers Beach.

History

Before the causeway's construction, the only way to access Estero Island and Fort Myers Beach by car was via the Matanzas Pass Bridge (which was still a small swing bridge at this time). The swing bridge's machinery was highly unreliable, which concerned islanders who feared the bridge would break down in the event of an emergency, such as a hurricane evacuation. The islanders felt having a second exit for the island for safety reasons would be wise.

The county then decided the most feasible location was to run the causeway from the south end of the island over barrier islands to Bonita Springs. The causeway's exact routing was selected by surveyor Carl Johnson (for whom Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park was named), and he became known as the father of the project. Construction began in 1963, and the causeway opened on July 4, 1965.[1]

References
  1. "A Short History of Fort Myers Beach". Town of Fort Myers Beach. Retrieved 2012-11-23.

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