The Midpoint Memorial Bridge (often referred to as simply the Midpoint 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

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

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 a four-lane fixed span that is long. The bridge is so named because its placement situates it roughly halfway between the

Cape Coral Bridge The Cape Coral Bridge is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River connecting McGregor and Cape Coral. It is made up of two parallel fixed spans, each long. History The original span opened for traffic on March ...

to the south, and the

Caloosahatchee Bridge The Caloosahatchee Bridge is a bridge located in Fort Myers, Florida. It carries U.S. Highway 41 (US 41, locally known as Cleveland Avenue) over the Caloosahatchee River, which is where its name comes from. The bridge has four lanes a ...

to the north. It carries County Road 884, which is known as Colonial Boulevard on the Fort Myers side, and Veterans Parkway on the Cape Coral side.

History

Building a second bridge between Cape Coral and Fort Myers was first proposed in the 1970s, but construction was delayed for many years, largely due to opposition in Fort Myers. After a series of court battles, reaching the Florida Supreme Court, construction began in 1995, and the bridge opened for traffic on October 19, 1997. Earlier in 1959, the bridge's location was considered as possible location of the

before its current location was determined. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge was constructed as part of the extension of Colonial Boulevard into

. Before construction, Colonial Boulevard terminated at State Road 867 (McGregor Boulevard), which runs parallel to the river. In Cape Coral, CR 884 (locally known as Veterans Parkway) now terminates at SR 78 (Pine Island Road) near Matlacha, and includes an overpass over the intersection with Del Prado Boulevard ( CR 867A). The addition of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge resulted in several ancillary road projects in

as well. Colonial Boulevard was widened to six lanes and overpasses were constructed over McGregor Boulevard and at the intersection with

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

. The bridge is owned by the Lee County Department of Transportation. There is a two-dollar toll in effect for westbound vehicles only and no toll for eastbound traffic. Florida's statewide

SunPass SunPass is an electronic toll collection system within the state of Florida, United States. It was created in 1999 by the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT's) Office of Toll Operations, operating now as a division of Florida's Turnpik ...

prepaid electronic toll collection system is accepted on the Midpoint Bridge, along with Lee County's Leeway prepaid toll system which is also used on the

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- ...

. On the Cape Coral side of the bridge, there is a replica of the statue from the

Marine Corps War Memorial The United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) is a national memorial located in Arlington County, Virginia. The memorial was dedicated in 1954 to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of the United States since 177 ...

Rosslyn, Virginia Rosslyn ( ) is a heavily urbanized unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown and Foggy Bo ...

(which is just outside

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

). The statue depicts the six U.S Marines raising the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

at the

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

. On the Fort Myers side, there is a small

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Memorial.

Gallery

Image:Midpoint Bridge Toll Plaza.jpg, The Toll Plaza in 2007 when tolls were still two way Image:Iwo Jima replica.jpg, Iwo Jima Memorial replica on the Cape Coral side Image:FMVietnam Memorial.jpg, Vietnam War Memorial on the Fort Myers side under construction Image:Midpoint Bridge From Horton Park & Boat Ramp.jpg, The bridge as seen from the Horton Park & Boat Ramp at the end of Everest Parkway in Cape Coral (2008)

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Midpoint Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

, upstream signs = , downstream =

, downstream signs = Toll bridges in Florida Buildings and structures in Fort Myers, Florida Monuments and memorials in Florida Bridges completed in 1997 Road bridges in Florida Bridges over the Caloosahatchee River Cape Coral, Florida Transportation in Fort Myers, Florida 1997 establishments in Florida Concrete bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States Bridges in Lee County, Florida