The Cape Coral Bridge is a bridge located in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally ...

. It spans the

Caloosahatchee River The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 It dr ...

connecting

McGregor McGregor may refer to: People * McGregor (surname) * Clan MacGregor, a Scottish highland clan * McGregor W. Scott (born 1962), U.S. attorney Characters * Mr. McGregor, a fictional character from Peter Rabbit Places in Canada: * McGregor Lake ...

and

Cape Coral Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...

. It is made up of two parallel fixed spans, each long.

History

The original span opened for traffic on March 14, 1964, with one lane in each direction. In 1989, a second parallel span opened south of the first span, with two lanes for eastbound traffic, and westbound traffic using both lanes on the original span. In conjunction with the new eastbound span, a four lane overpass was constructed over the intersection of State Road 867 (McGregor Boulevard) just east of the bridge. The Cape Coral Bridge was the only link between

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

and

until 1997, when the

Midpoint Memorial Bridge The Midpoint Memorial Bridge (often referred to as simply the Midpoint Bridge) is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River, connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It is a four-lane fixed span that is long. The bri ...

opened just north of the Cape Coral Bridge on the Caloosahatchee River. The bridge is owned by the Lee County Department of Transportation. There is currently a two dollar toll in effect for westbound vehicles only, and there is no tolls for eastbound traffic. Florida's statewide SunPass prepaid electronic toll collection system is accepted on the Cape Coral Bridge, along with Lee County's "Leeway" prepaid toll system, which is also used on the Midpoint Bridge, and the

Sanibel Causeway The Sanibel Causeway is a causeway in Southwest Florida that spans San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland in Punta Rassa, Florida, Punta Rassa. The causeway consists of three separate two-lane bridge spans, and two- ...

. However, there is a variable pricing scheme in effect.

Future

There are currently plans to renovate the Cape Coral Bridge, which includes rebuilding the westbound Cape Coral Bridge, widen the bridge to 3 lanes on both direction, allow pedestrian access to the bridge, improve bicycle lanes and improve the intersection between Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard. The project is expected to begin in 2026.

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Cape Coral Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

, upstream signs = , downstream =

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, downstream signs = Toll bridges in Florida Bridges completed in 1964 Bridges completed in 1989 Buildings and structures in Fort Myers, Florida Road bridges in Florida Bridges over the Caloosahatchee River Cape Coral, Florida Transportation in Fort Myers, Florida Concrete bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States Bridges in Lee County, Florida 1964 establishments in Florida