Bonita Beach Causeway

Bonita Beach Causeway
North end of the Bonita Beach Causeway
Coordinates	26°24′16″N 81°52′51″W
Carries	CR 865 (Estero Boulevard)
Crosses	Big Carlos Pass Little Carlos Pass New Pass Big Hickory Pass
Locale	Bonita Springs, Florida
Maintained by	Lee County Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	1 steel bascule bridge & 3 concrete girder bridges
Total length	4.1 miles (6.6 km)
History
Opened	July 4, 1965
Statistics
Toll	None
Location

The Bonita Beach Causeway is a causeway with a series of four low-level bridges located in Southwest Florida traversing the barrier islands of Estero Bay connecting the town of Fort Myers Beach with Bonita Springs. It carries Estero Boulevard (County Road 865) and is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long from end to end. Each bridge on the Bonita Beach Causeway is named after the body of water it crosses.

Route description

New Pass Bridge

Estero Boulevard (which crosses the causeway) begins just south of the Bonita Beach Causeway on Little Hickory Island, splitting off from Hickory Boulevard (County Road 865). It heads north and crosses Big Hickory Pass Bridge, which lands on Big Hickory Island. After a short distance, it then crosses the New Pass Bridge, and lands on Long Key, and enters the Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park. After crossing the Little Carlos Pass Bridge onto Black Key, Estero Boulevard turns west and crosses the Big Carlos Pass Bridge, a small single-leaf drawbridge, onto Estero Island, and the town of Fort Myers Beach.

History

Big Hickory Pass Bridge

Before the causeway's construction, the only way to access Estero Island and Fort Myers Beach by car was via the Matanzas Pass Bridge (which was still a small swing bridge at this time). The swing bridge's machinery was highly unreliable, which concerned islanders who feared the bridge would break down in the event of an emergency, such as a hurricane evacuation. The islanders felt having a second exit for the island for safety reasons would be wise.

The entrance to the Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park

The county then decided the most feasible location for a second bridge to Estero Island was to build a causeway and a series of bridges from the south end of the island over barrier islands to Bonita Springs. The causeway's exact routing was selected by surveyor Carl Johnson (for whom Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park was named), and he became known as the father of the project. Construction began in 1963, and the causeway opened on July 4, 1965.

Future

Big Carlos Pass Bridge in 2007

Construction is underway on a replacement for the Big Carlos Pass Bridge. The new bridge will be a 60-foot fixed span bridge, which will eliminate the need for a drawbridge. The new bridge is planned to be complete in 2026.