Lee County increases Cape Coral Bridge design budget by $4.6 million

Lee County commissioners have approved an additional $4.6 million for the Cape Coral Bridge design, raising the total design cost to over $25 million as part of efforts to reduce the overall project budget. "We budgeted for the project to be $450 million at this point. But we'd like to get that budget down to only $400 million," said Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman. Hamman explained that the extra spending is intended to generate significant savings in the future. "By spending the extra $4 million today, they are targeting a savings of at least $45 million. So that's a pretty good return there. We wouldn't have to borrow that extra $45 million. That would ultimately have to be paid back through tolls," Hamman said. Some Cape Coral residents expressed concerns about the rising costs and called for more transparency. "I'm all about transparency. So, if they want to spend this money, I'd really love to see everything it's going towards," said Kristen Willert, a Cape Coral resident. Another resident, Gabrielle Jacobson, shared her perspective on the potential benefits of the project. "I mean, I guess for like, more lanes. I guess the money could be worth it," Jacobson said. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has asked the county to revisit the bridge design to identify strategic adjustments, including emergency lanes and walking and biking paths. "Other things they're going to look at is, by reclassifying some of the multi-use paths that have to be on the outside of the bridge, to sidewalks, they actually could then attach those to the bridge instead of building separate spans that are on the outside of the bridge," Hamman said. While the county works on finalizing the design, Willert shared her frustrations with current traffic conditions on the bridge. "I'm sitting on the bridge and it's not moving and it's a parking lot. So, to say I've been late to a few very important moments in my life," she said. Final plans for the Cape Coral Bridge are expected to be completed by May of next year, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2028. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.