LCEC Continues Utility Pole Replacement Near Blind Pass

SC Staff Report

UPDATE: Wednesday, Feb. 26 – The work to replace an LCEC utility pole on Sanibel Captiva Road, just south of Blind Pass, has been rescheduled to 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, due to forecasted high winds and rain for Wednesday, Feb. 26. LCEC plans to have the project completed on Thursday, according to an update received by the City of Sanibel. The traffic advisory remains in effect.

UPDATE: Monday, Feb. 24 – The Lee County Electric Cooperative contractors will be back on site at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to an update received by the City of Sanibel. The city has issued a traffic advisory and LCEC will have traffic control on-site.

Original Publish Date: Saturday, Feb. 22 – The Lee County Electric Cooperative is in the middle of replacing one of its utility poles just south of Blind Pass, along Sanibel Captiva Road, due to severe shoreline erosion in that area. LCEC began working Monday, Feb. 17, to replace the current pole with a 75-foot concrete self-supporting pole, but by Tuesday evening were unable to reach the proper depth.

“The contractor will be installing a larger casing on Monday, Feb. 24, and the line crew will complete the install and transfer on Tuesday, Feb. 25,” said Tricia Dorn, LCEC Key Account Executive. “The contractor is confident the install will be successful with the larger casing.”

LCEC does not anticipate any power interruptions.

The replacement LCEC utility pole lies safely behind the guardrail along Sanibel Captiva Road, near Blind Pass. SC photo by Associate Publisher Chuck Larsen

A contractor digger truck holds up the existing LCEC utility pole as a safety measure until crews return to the site on Monday, Feb. 24. SC photo by Associate Publisher Chuck Larsen

The City of Sanibel is expected to begin its Sanibel Captiva Road emergency protection project the first week of March and be completed by May 1, the start of sea turtle nesting season. Cost for the construction of a permanent wall structure will be $1,307,410 with nearly all of the funding coming from tourism tax dollars.

In the December 2019 City Council meeting, Director of Natural Resources James Evans called the project “very robust” and said it “would serve the long-term protection of Sanibel Captiva Road.” A temporary barrier was installed in December, when the erosion reached a critical point, to protect the roadway.

“We haven’t really lost any additional sand since the barrier was put into place,” Evans told City Council members at the Feb. 4 meeting.