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Residents urge Cape Coral to repair or replace Sands Boulevard bridge; council awaits FDOT funding guidance
Summary
Residents urged Cape Coral officials to repair or replace the Sands Boulevard bridge on May 28, warning that removing the bridge would hamper evacuations and slow emergency response; staff said temporary stabilization is under way while awaiting FDOT/FHWA guidance on federal cost-sharing for removal or replacement.
Scores of residents from neighborhoods served by Sands Boulevard told Cape Coral's committee-of-the-whole on May 28 that removing the Sands Boulevard bridge would increase evacuation times, slow emergency responders and push traffic onto local residential streets.
"Safety is the key reason," said Tim (William) Kerrigan, who identified Sands Boulevard as a city arterial and said the bridge serves hundreds of homes in the southwest Cape. Many speakers said hurricane Ian showed how loss of bridge access can isolate neighborhoods and lengthen ambulance response.
Resident testimony detailed multiple concerns: longer bus rides for students, more traffic on narrow residential streets, flooding at nearby intersections and uncertainty about how sewer and water utilities would be rerouted if the bridge were removed. "What are you gonna do with water and sewer?" asked Lois Bridal, pointing…
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