Construction has begun on the new toll plaza for the Sanibel
Causeway Construction Project. This part of the project
involves the complete demolition of the roadway and old toll plaza
to make way for the new toll plaza and travel lanes.
The construction will require overhead work and lifting of heavy
objects above the roadway. For the safety of workers and the
public, as well as to ensure efficient traffic flow, the toll plaza
and roadway have been temporarily relocated to the Punta Rassa Boat
Ramp parking lot. The temporary roadway will connect up with the
current roadway to allow drivers to enter or exit Sanibel smoothly
with minimal disruption. The new toll plaza should open in early
2007
Traffic heading towards Sanibel can enter Punta Rassa boat ramp and
Sanibel Harbor Resort using the far right lane which has been
designated
exclusively for this use. Traffic can use either the far
left or middle lanes to enter the toll plaza and continue on to
Sanibel.
Traffic leaving Sanibel can enter Punta Rassa boat ramp or the
Sanibel Harbor Resort using the first available turn lane next to
the Lighthouse Restaurant to make a U-turn.
Although there are several median openings prior to the Lighthouse
Restaurant, the turn lane into the restaurant provides a safer
location to make a U-turn. Traffic that would prefer to use a
stop light can continue to the first stop light at Shell Point
Retirement Community and then make a U-turn.
Initially, during this stage of construction, the parking at Punta
Rassa boat ramp will be reduced but the ramp will still be
accessible. The next stage will involve paving the new boat ramp
parking area. After this stage is complete the boat ramp will
contain additional parking spaces, a new fish cleaning area, rest
rooms and facilities.
