The $328 million Sanibel Causeway restoration project has reached substantial completion, returning a 3-mile part of the critical connection from Sanibel Island to mainland Florida, according to a May 20 release from the project team.
The 12-mile causeway, which opened in 1963, spans the San Carlos Bay and consists of three two-lane bridge spans with artificial islands between them.
In September 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed the causeway, cutting off Sanibel and Captiva Islands from the rest of the state of Florida and leaving residents stranded. Two portions of the ramp and a section of roadway that crossed an island in the middle of the causeway washed away in the storm…