Caloosahatchee Bridge to reopen early Monday...

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The Florida Department of Transportation announced the Caloosahatchee Bridge will reopen early Monday morning. The bridge will have one southbound lane open and both northbound lanes open.

The bridge was closed this summer to install an 8-foot-wide sidewalk, aimed to enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the bridge. This summer was a little bit harder for some North Fort Myers residents like Cadin Loupien. He told NBC2 that he felt the pressure before the closure.

"You have to sit on the bridge during bad traffic hours for about an hour to 45 minutes, especially since it was right when it started my daughter was being born," said Cadin Loupien.

FDOT says the bridge will open back up for drivers starting no later than 4 a.m. on Monday. Just in time for Lee County students to go back to school.

FDOT said that crews will periodically close one northbound lane during the day or night. Nighttime closures should be expected from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. throughout the remainder of the project, including weekends.

"Sometimes it depends on if they have large equipment and they may need to use those northbound lanes," said Janella Newsome, a public information director for FDOT. "When we say intermittently, for now, northbound lanes will be open for business."

Closing the bridge down for ten weeks allowed the project to be way ahead of schedule. Newsome said businesses that were in a pinch will see a difference.

"It was vital that we have this bridge reopened for business, so that people can at least go about their daily lives to where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time," Newsome said.

The project is expected to be completed in December.