Lehigh Acres will benefit from $4.1 million in state grants accepted by the Lee County Board of Commissioners for repairs to infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Irma.
To Lehigh residents, that means the replacement of a pedestrian bridge over the Able Canal.
The Richmond Avenue Pedestrian Bridge over the Able Canal is owned by the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District. It is a connector for students who walk to Lehigh Elementary School. The county will assume the costs of routine maintenance for the bridge.
“The bridge was badly damaged by the storm and was closed off immediately,” said Lee County spokesperson Betsy Clayton. “Remains of the structure were removed shortly after the storm.”
The project cost of $678,566 includes improvements to the design and materials to ensure the new structure will meet updated hurricane code requirements.
“The current schedule, which does not yet have Florida DOE concurrence, calls for the design phase to begin in October 2022. Construction is expected to begin in late 2022, or early 2023 and will take about a year,” Clayton said.