LaBelle drawbridge to close for two weekends as FDOT repairs damage

LABELLE, Fla. (WINK) — The Florida Department of Transportation will close the LaBelle Drawbridge on State Road 29 over the Caloosahatchee River for two consecutive weekends to perform structural repairs starting Friday. 

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The bridge will be closed to all traffic from 9 a.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, then close again during the same hours the following weekend.

About 17,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, and roughly 18% are commercial vehicles, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

Passenger vehicles will be directed across the Fort Denaud Bridge during the closures. Commercial vehicles weighing 17 tons or more must take a 53-mile detour through Moore Haven because nearby crossings also have weight restrictions.

“We’re going to be posting it for 17 tons, which basically eliminates commercial traffic from being able to cross this structure,” Rodriguez said.

The bridge was built in the late 1950s, according to FDOT. Officials said repeated heavy loads caused fatigue damage to steel components, some of which have reached the end of their design life and must be replaced.

The bridge will reopen to passenger vehicles between the weekend closures, but the weight restriction will remain in place while engineers test the repaired structure. FDOT said that the evaluation could take up to two weeks after the work is completed.

If the bridge passes the load test, normal commercial traffic could resume. If it does not, FDOT will determine a safe weight limit and issue updated restrictions.

LaBelle Mayor Julie Wilkins said the closures could also hurt businesses that rely heavily on Friday and Saturday traffic, but the updated bridge is a silver lining.

“One business owner said, well, we might as well just close, and unfortunately, it’s a real thing,” Wilkins said. “Anything that adds life to the existing bridge is good. We really don’t want it changed, but it is problematic if it can’t take the weight.”

Law enforcement will be stationed near the bridge and detour routes. Fire equipment will also be positioned on both sides of the river during the closures to avoid delays in emergency response.

Watch the entire stream at the link above.