by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
The East Periwinkle Way Bridge approaches were washed out by Hurricane Ian, rendering the roadway inaccessible for several months. Today, the State of Florida has declared that the repaired bridge is functionally obsolete.
On June 4, 2024, the Sanibel City Council approved an agreement with consultant TYLin to complete the engineering design for a resilient bridge. The design considered options to increase the width and height of the boat channel and to widen the bridge span to improve pedestrian access.
TYLin was directed to explore increasing vertical clearance for boat traffic without impacting the nearby intersections at Pen Shell Drive, Limpet Drive, and Tulip Lane.
On February 4, 2025, the City Council heard a presentation from TYLin at the 30 percent design stage.
TYLin advised that the bridge’s vertical clearance for boat traffic could be increased by one foot without affecting adjacent intersections, provided the bridge roadway speed limit was reduced to 25 miles per hour.
The City Council agreed with the reduced speed limit and directed staff to also study reducing it along the entire length of East Periwinkle Way from Causeway Boulevard to Lighthouse Beach. TYLin also explained that the shared-use path on the bridge could be widened from eight feet to 10 feet by reducing the travel lane widths from 12 feet to 11 feet.
Kevin McLellan, a resident of Anchor Drive who stated he represented approximately 30 residents, advocated increasing the bridge height beyond the one-foot increase proposed by TYLin. McLellan referenced letters he and another resident, Chris Peterson, submitted.
Following that discussion in February, the City Council directed staff to obtain a cost estimate from TYLin to increase the bridge’s vertical clearance by two to three feet.
At the January 13, meeting, the consultants advised that increasing the bridge height by more than the proposed one foot would add $4 million to the project and that the one-foot increase, as proposed, already uses the maximum available road slope.
City Council voted unanimously to proceed with the study to complete the design “as is” without delay.
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