After being broken in multiple spots by Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Causeway Bridge was reopened Tuesday afternoon to essential personnel and emergency work crews. NBC 6’s Ryan Nelson has the latest.
Less than three weeks after Hurricane Ian devastated portions of southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that a major roadway destroyed by the storm will reopen sooner than expected.
DeSantis said the Sanibel Causeway that was left damaged in three places by Ian will reopen to the public within days, with Sanibel Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Barbot adding it will reopen by the end of the week.
“We said when we were doing the Causeway that the individual civilians would have access by the end of the month. We now have a date that’s even before that,” DeSantis said. “Believe me, I’m pushing them to do it even further.”
HURRICANE IAN AFTERMATH
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DeSantis added he has asked state officials to make sure first responders get their bonus checks that were being sent out when the storm struck on Sept. 28.
Temporary repairs allowed a one-time convoy of power restoration equipment, supplies, and crews to access the island on Oct. 11. The island, home to about 7,000 residents, has been reachable only by sea or air since Ian roared ashore 150 mph winds.
Search and rescue efforts at the island began after Ian passed, and while the truck convoy could help speed up the power restoration efforts DeSantis said some of the infrastructure will have to be completely rebuilt.
"You see concrete poles and utility poles snapped in half," DeSantis said last week. "It is going to require a lot of manpower, it's going to require a lot of effort."
