A major piece of the Margaritaville resort project will be a 14-foot high bridge that connects the resort over Estero Boulevard. The bridge will be open to the public and include public restrooms.
The bridge is going to be raised in place overnight sometime between August 11th and 15th. We’re hoping to be there for a live broadcast when the bridge is put into place.
The majority of the bridge is being built off the island. It will arrive on site prior to the day its raised into place so the roof, which is being built on the property, can be attached. The bridge will be mobility accessible with elevators and ramps at the width that meets all ADA requirements.
Our most recent video update tour of the construction was this past Saturday. It’s already been viewed over 5,000 times. Watch it HERE.
As a side note, the resort will close off 7 access points or driveways that had cars constantly pulling in and out on the beach side. One of the reasons traffic was so slow at times on Estero Boulevard was because there were so many driveways in that area. Another reason is pedestrians crossing Estero anywhere and everywhere they can. Hopefully part of the pedestrian crossing problem will be solved by the walkover bridge.
Councilman Jim Attorholt, who’s been a proponent of pedestrian walkovers, especially at the foot of the bridge where the state plans to add more pedestrian crosswalks, said about the Margaritaville bridge, “It is my hope that this new pedestrian bridge will be a model for the future for our island to help with the flow of traffic and still move pedestrians safely and efficiently. We as a Town need to adopt incentives into our comprehensive plan that encourage others to build pedestrian bridges over Estero Blvd. when new redevelopment occurs on Fort Myers Beach. Although this is not the complete solution to our traffic problems, I am hopeful that it certainly will be part of the solution.”
The resort is expected to open in September of 2023.
Comments are closed.