Upgrading the Little Pine Island Bridge

More than a year and a half after Hurricane Ian, Matlacha is a mess. Sadly, the tiny community was mostly destroyed.

As the island rebuilds, the county is looking for ways to improve it, specifically with the design of the Little Pine Island Bridge.

The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on the reconstruction on Thursday.

It’s hard to say what changes they want to see when they say they’ve heard limited information on what changes, if any, could be coming to the bridge.

We spoke with a homeowner living right next to the bridge who did her own digging after waking up to strange markings in her driveway.

Those markings led her down a path that made it clear that there are some questions FDOT and the county need to answer.

Julie Dixon loves Pine Island and her home there. She said she loves the sunsets, the vibes and the peace.

The only issue?

“After kind of following some breadcrumbs, we finally found out that the bridge is going to be expanded 12 feet to make use for shared-use paths on either side and that they need to build that path in my driveway and take off six feet of our driveway. We went to all the town hall meetings that they had, and this was never discussed,” Dixon said.

Following Hurricane Ian, an executive order opened the pathway for a reconstruction project to provide permanent Pine Island road causeway and bridge repairs.

But this project and the lack of clarity regarding what it really entails are making it hard for the Dixons to find that vibe they grew to love.

“They said they still don’t have the design plans are being tweaked and that everything will be revealed at the 4/11 meeting, so that’s best they could do. They said, ‘Yeah, you should probably move everything out of your driveway, and remove your pavers in order that they won’t be impacted by the bridge work while you’re gone.'”

For now, this is their hope. The bridge and the vibe they grew to love won’t change.

FDOT is holding a public meeting at the Pine Island United Methodist Church on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

You can also register in advance to attend it online.

We contacted FDOT with Dixon’s concerns to find out if the 12-foot expansion and shared use path are in their intended plans. A spokesperson said they would get back to us.