Back in early February we reported that Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy wanted the town to make one final effort to save the fishing pier under the Matanzas Pass bridge. We contacted the State of Florida to find out if the bridge is staying or going.
The state announced it was planning to remove the fishing pier after the town decided it would not take over the maintenance of the pier. The steps to get onto the pier are already gone. Town Manager Roger Hernstadt said the pier was in disrepair and the town was not in the business of repairing bridges.
The state was willing to make the needed repairs if the town would take ownership of the pier after those repairs were made. Last month Mayor Murphy suggested the town could sign an agreement with Lee County to fix any future repairs needed to the bridge being they are in the business of maintaining bridges.
Murphy also said he spoke to an F.D.O.T. engineer who told him there really wouldn’t be much maintenance required if the town took over the pier.
On February 7th Town Manager Roger Hernstadt told the town council he would reach out to the Florida Department of Transportation and request a representative come to a future town council meeting to explain how much it would cost to maintain the bridge.
F.D.O.T Spokesman Adam Rose told Beach Talk Radio News that the state has not heard a word from the town. “The only thing that is certain is that there are fences to help maintain safety that will be installed in the coming weeks but nothing new on the removal or fixing of the pier. No communication from the town to the department regarding the pier. Our engineers have explained to the town that the department needs to receive a maintenance agreement from the town and that the town would also need an engineer to go and repair the stairs and other structural repairs. We have not heard back from them.”
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