The Matlacha Pass Bridge (pronounced "Mat-La-Shay") is a small single-leaf

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

located in

Matlacha, Florida Matlacha ( "MAT-la-shay") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 598. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Matlacha ...

. It carries County Road 78 (Pine Island Road) over Matlacha Pass, connecting Pine Island with the mainland in

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 ...

. The first bridge spanning Matlacha Pass was a small wooden

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

. The first bridge's swing span was a recycled span that had previously been used on the

Alva Bridge The bridge unofficially known as the Alva Bridge is a small two-lane drawbridge located in Alva, Florida. The bridge is 21 feet tall and it is one of four vehicle drawbridges in Lee County. The bridge carries Broadway over the Caloosahatchee R ...

. The first bridge was built largely in part to the influence of Pine Island resident Harry Stringfellow, who served as a county commissioner from 1926 to 1953. The first bridge was replaced with a concrete

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

in 1968. The bridge became a very popular fishing spot for local residents, and was nicknamed "The fishingest bridge in the world". The current bascule bridge opened on November 18, 2012. The current span is 9 feet tall, similar to its predecessor. After its demolition, the previous bridge (the one built in 1968) was made into an artificial reef at Novak's reef, which is about 3 miles off the coast of Charlotte County. The third bridge was destroyed by storm surge from

Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian was a large and destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that was the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Ian caused widespread damage across western Cuba and the southeast Unit ...

in late September 2022. A temporary bridge has since been built in its place by early October of that year.

References

Bridges completed in 1927 Bascule bridges in the United States Road bridges in Florida 1927 establishments in Florida Concrete bridges in the United States Bridges in Lee County, Florida Pine Island (Lee County, Florida) {{Florida-bridge-struct-stub