Long-delayed Jolley Bridge toll study gets go-ahead

A year after the money was received to pay for it, a toll feasibility study for the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge on Marco Island is finally about to take off.

The Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization on Friday approved a document known as a request for proposal that outlines the parameters of the study that will be conducted by the firm chosen to do the work.

Last month, Marco Island Councilman Mike Minozzi expressed frustration before his fellow MPO members about how long it is taking to get the study under way. He learned that Hurricane Wilma and a changeover in MPO staff were factors in the delays.

He said Friday he is now pleased with the progress being made.

"It was kind of hanging (before)," he said. "But the process is moving along now. That basically is what I was asking."

The study is critically needed if the bridge is to be built anytime soon.

In the best-case scenario, the Florida Department of Transportation won't have the money to pay for the new, wider Jolley Bridge until 2025.

That doesn't sit well with many residents and transportation officials.

The city of Marco Island has a permanent population of 15,000 and a peak seasonal population of 35,000. Traffic heading on and off the bridge, particularly during season, backs up on island roads.

The MPO, a countywide transportation-planning agency, has borrowed $1 million from the state for a study to determine whether tolls would be feasible to speed up the construction timeline.

This total amount may not be spent. The first mission is to determine whether tolls are a viable way of paying for a new bridge, which would replace the existing one built in 1969.

If the answer is no, the rest of the borrowed money will not be spent on studying the design of a new toll plaza, said Don Scott, who heads the county's transportation planning division.

Scott said the feasibility portion of the study most likely will cost $300,000 to $500,000, meaning that half of the borrowed money could be returned to the state if the toll isn't considered a viable option.

The bridge once had a toll of 10 cents, which was discontinued in the early 1980s.

The request for proposal document approved Friday calls for the firm to answer by Dec. 31 whether tolls are viable.

But Scott said that answer more likely will come a few months later because public meetings are planned.

Minozzi told the MPO board Friday he would like two public meetings on Marco Island held shortly after the study firm is hired — one with the business community and another with residents.

Scott said if it is determined that the toll is viable, it would take another six months to design the toll plaza, then another couple of years to build the plaza and bridge. DOT is well into the design of the bridge itself, so that wouldn't delay the process.

The request for proposal requires that the study firm embark on an extensive public outreach program, develop a Web site to communicate information about the project and take input from the community.

The firm also must develop a speakers' bureau offering PowerPoint presentations to communicate information about the project to elected policy boards, chambers of commerce, homeowners associations and other groups.

The firm also will determine how much traffic will be diverted to the Goodland Bridge connecting to the island if tolls are adopted, and figure how this will factor in the revenue brought in by tolls.

The firm also will establish a toll fee schedule that offers resident discounts, special rates for trucks, discounts for carpool/employer van pools and special programs identified by residents.