Sanibel Causeway plans stir up old issues

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may try to have Lee County remove one of the two causeway spoil islands that crosses the mouth of San Carlos Bay to reach the upscale barrier island and exclusive Captiva Island.

Lee County officials thought they had put that issue to rest, but federal officials say the plans they reviewed more than a year ago called for only minor rehabilitative work, and they have since been told the project will involve construction of a new fixed-span bridge instead.

"We told them we have always advocated removal of the islands from a strictly ecological point of view," said Bert Byers, a Fish and Wildlife spokesman. "We weren't going to insist since it was a small program for upkeep and safety only."

The county has since taken stock of Bridge A, the span in question that runs from the mainland at Punta Rassa to the first of two spoil islands. Instead of repairing and keeping the existing drawbridge there, the current plan calls for replacing it with a 70-foot-high fixed span.

The islands have been a point of contention for decades. Before the causeway was built, there was a thriving scallop fishery in the bay, a fishery that died out shortly after the 3.3-mile causeway was built.

Environmentalists contend the islands act as a dam, changing the historic mix of fresh water from the Caloosahatchee River with the salt water from Pine Island Sound to Estero Bay.

There also has been four decades of rapid coastal development, bringing increased runoff to the mix. County officials say studies they will submit with the bridge plans show removing one of the islands would have a negligible effect on the coastal system, if any.

"We've had the studies," county transportation director Scott Gilbertson said. "There's no significant difference with the island in or out."

Commission Chairman Ray Judah doesn't buy that. He's argued to have at least one of the spoil islands removed when the causeway was replaced.

"There's no question it has been detrimental to the estuaries," Judah said. "If you just look at the geography you see two mounds of fill right smack in the middle of San Carlos Bay. It acts as a dam. It's an obvious impediment to proper flushing."

County government and the city of Sanibel have approached the prospect of replacing the causeway with great care, but when cracks were discovered in support beams during a routine inspection in January it all changed. The causeway had to be closed for more than a day, and heavy trucks are still restricted.

Commissioner Bob Janes was mayor of Sanibel, a city councilman and member of the city's planning council before he was elected to the Lee County Commission in 2000. The city has argued that recreational use of the causeway, hugely popular with beachgoers, sailors and anglers, makes them irreplaceable.

What's important now, Janes said, is to get the causeway fixed and operating safely.

"If this delays the project two years or four years that bridge could really be in trouble," Janes said. "It'll be hard to keep it in good shape while they diddle around with it."

Janes was himself a member of Sanibel's Save Our Bridge group, which argued for keeping the low drawbridge and against the higher fixed span that commissioners have approved. He said the community has come to the realization that what's important is to get the bridge project done as soon as possible.

Erick Lindblad and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation find themselves in the middle. The organization recommended removal of the islands years ago.

"We've been wrestling with it today," Lindblad said.

Given the recreational value of the islands, Lindblad said, and the need for the bridge, it's a tough call.

"I think everyone's put it on the balance and said it's a very difficult decision," he said.

It apparently will be weighed on the balance again.

Federal official Byers said the new project seems to have changed enough to require a re-evaluation.

"If it's going to be greater than what we were consulted on last year it would merit a new evaluation," he said. "We expect to see a project that has increased significantly."

The permitting authority lies with the U.S. Coast Guard. Fish and Wildlife will review the plans and offer advice.

Gilbertson said he hopes to submit paper work to the Coast Guard in a week or so.

The $50 million causeway project cost could go up by $25 million if a causeway island is removed, Gilbertson said.