Matanzas Pass Bridge, Road bridge in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
Matanzas Pass Bridge is a road bridge in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, linking Estero Island to the mainland over the tidal channel known as Matanzas Pass. It carries two traffic lanes and a separate pedestrian path lined with concrete barriers on both sides.
The first crossing here opened in 1921 as a wooden drawbridge, charging a toll of 54 cents and giving Estero Island its first road link to the mainland. The structure was later rebuilt and widened as the area grew and traffic increased over the following decades.
Locals call it the Sky Bridge or the Fort Myers Beach Bridge. The 1979 span replaced a swing bridge one block west; its old approach is now Old San Carlos Boulevard, and the link to Estero Boulevard became the pedestrian-only Times Square. Tom Phillips's 1924 coquina arches, built as a gateway to his San Carlos on the Gulf development, were demolished for the new bridge.
The bridge carries State Road 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) in two lanes, one each way, with a pedestrian lane behind a concrete barrier. It is one of two island connections: the Bonita Beach Causeway at Estero Island's south end is the other. Fishing piers sit beneath the span on both sides.
The bridge's fixed 65-foot span was built high enough for the area's large shrimping vessels to pass underneath without interrupting road traffic. When it opened on October 15, 1979, it was the tallest bridge in Lee County, a title it held until 2007, when Bridge A of the Sanibel Causeway reached 70 feet.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,617 contributors worldwide.