Contractor Reviews Plans for East Periwinkle Bridge

by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino

The Sanibel City Council heard a presentation from contractor TYLin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, outlining plans for the East Periwinkle Way bridge, which was heavily damaged in Hurricane Ian. The project will also address the deficiencies of the 50-year-old seawall.

The project will be awarded in April 2026 and is estimated to be completed in February 2029. It will be done in four phases with single-lane traffic at times. Council members discussed delaying or slowing down the project to avoid single-lane traffic during high season. No action was taken.

The city has previously discussed lowering the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph from Causeway Boulevard to the Lighthouse to comply with the Florida Department of Transportation’s line-of-sight design requirements, and as recommended by TYLin.

The city has entered into a professional services agreement with Johnson Engineering to perform an island-wide speed study, including East Periwinkle Way from Causeway Boulevard to the Lighthouse. It will include collecting seven-day, 24-hour traffic counts and speed data.

Johnson Engineering will also analyze five-year crash data and provide recommendations for spacing speed limit signs.

The following are existing seawall deficiencies to be addressed in the project: Seawall narrows at the bridge; stormwater funneling at the bridge – increases velocity; narrow navigation span; shallow seawall embedment; substandard north sidewalk; substandard sight distance.

And the following are the proposed improvements to the bridge:
• 12’-0″ lane width (existing 11’-0″)
• 10’-0″ Shared Use Path (existing 8’-0″)
• 5’-0” north sidewalk (existing 4’-0”) • Utility Corridor
• Reduce Speed from 35 MPH to 25 MPH to Improve Stopping Distance
• Increase vertical profile
• Horizontal Clearance 56.4 feet (existing 28.5 feet)
• Vertical Clearance:
• Minimum 9.4 feet (existing 8.4 feet)
• Maximum 9.8 feet (existing 8.8 feet)
• Deeper Seawall Embedment improves scour protection
• Seawall aligns with the existing neighborhood seawall
• Bridge ends protected by concrete sheet pile wall

The project phases:
Phase 1- Build North Sidewalk • No impact to traffic • 9-month duration
Phase 2- Replace South Section of Bridge • One Lane Two-Way Traffic • 9-month duration
Phase 3- Replace North Section of Bridge • Two-Lane Two-Way Traffic • 9-month duration
Phase 4- Complete the Bridge • Resume Existing Traffic Operation • 2-month duration

Phase 1 of the project is build a north sidewalk. There will be no impact to traffic and will take nine months to complete

Phase 2 is replacing the south section of the bridge. There will be one lane of traffic and take nine months to complete.

The final phase of the bridge project is resuming existing traffic operation. It will take two months.

A reduced speed limit is proposed to improve stopping distance and increase vertical profile