by SC Publisher Shannen Hayes
Traffic crossing the Sanibel Causeway has steadily increased since Hurricane Ian severely damaged the bridge and devastated the island in September 2022. This year’s vehicle count through November is up 5.6 percent compared to the same time last year, but traffic has not yet rebounded to pre-Ian levels, according to the report released this month by Lee County, which operates the bridge.
In 2021, the vehicle count was 3.5 million. In 2022, the count fell to 2.8 million after Ian damaged the causeway, and no counts were taken in October or November. The count dropped further to 2.6 million vehicles in 2023, but rose again to 2.8 million in 2024 despite the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This year, through November, the count is 2.7 million, 3 percent below last year’s total, with December yet to be counted.
Traffic increased nearly every month this year compared to last year, with February the only month to see a decrease, by 1.16 percent. And March remained the busiest month of the year with the highest vehicle count at 296,471, a 3.7 percent increase over last year. October saw the largest month-over-month increase, with 228,916 vehicles counted, 22 percent more than in October 2024.
The December vehicle count will be released in January, which will show the total number of vehicles coming to the island in 2025. Will it beat last year’s total?
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