Caloosahatchee Bridge set to open on schedule

The Caloosahatchee Bridge has been shut down for seven out of the ten weeks of the predicted project duration, the deadline being August 11.

For the last six weeks drivers adjusted to the traffic pile-up in downtown Fort Myers around rush hour.

Drivers may be frustrated but the closure has put the overall project ahead of schedule by 301 days.

On Monday, WINK News reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation to see if those plans are still current with all of the recent rain SWFL has been receiving.

FDOT said the hard deadline to reopen the Caloosahatchee River Bridge will be met.

But until August 11 the bridge will stay completely shut down.

However, crews are making progress, and in just a few weeks, the traffic will hopefully be in the rearview mirror.

“It’s a little rough kind of parking down here. It’s challenging. It makes you not wanna come down here. I’m a downtown girl so I like to come down here,” said Fort Myers resident Alicia Bird.

Once the Bridge opens back up, it will continue to shut down at night and have lane closures during the daytime as needed.

The project is expected to be finished as early as December of this year, weather permitting.

For more information on the project, click here.