Compromise reached on bridge hours
Following several meetings involving county officials, contractors and representatives of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association, a compromise has been reached with regard to the draw bridge hours of operation.
When construction began on the replacement bridge in Matlacha, the contractor had decided to adopt the suggested hours of operations as recommended by the U.S. Coast Guard. This action however was deemed unfavorable by some members of the island community and was opposed by the members of the Civic Association. Acting on behalf of the association, island resident Phil Buchanan engaged officials in discussions about the matter.
“I think the arrangement announced by Paul Wingard with DOT, is very fair to all and I recommend its acceptance to everyone involved,” said Buchanan. “My thanks to Paul and his staff and Commissioner (John) Manning and his staff for all of their help. They did a great job.”
The U.S. Coast Guard guidelines for bridge operations was limited to bridge openings on demand from 8 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The rest of the day, the bridge house would be unmanned in inoperable. The compromise however would broaden the times when the bridge can be raised to allow for passage.
According to a statement issued by Wingard, “Basically we will man the bridge during USCG hours and then on demand, on the hour in between at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.”
The new bridge opening hours are as follows:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday:
8 to 10 a.m. – bridge will open on demand
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – bridge will open, only on the hour, on demand
3 to 7 p.m. – bridge will open on demand
Friday, Saturday and Monday:
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. – bridge will open on demand (as it was pre-construction)
Sunday:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. – bridge will open on demand (as it was pre-construction)
In addition to these times of operation, it was also agreed that the bridge would be manned in the event of a special occasion.
“If there is some special event, with multiple vessels, and the bridge needs to open at some time other than on the hour, this is the exception for Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. only, we just need to be provided 24-hours notice, which can be done by calling 533-8573,” said Wingard. “This number will be forwarded to one of us at all times and we will cover whatever the special arrangements need to be.”
Prior to the bridge construction, the bridge house was manned and in operation from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.