Matlacha Bridge

The Matlacha Pass Bridge (pronounced "Mat-La-Shay") is a small single-leaf drawbridge located in Matlacha, Florida. It carries County Road 78 (Pine Island Road) over Matlacha Pass, connecting Pine Island with the mainland in Cape Coral.

Matlacha Pass Bridge
Aerial view of the 1968–2012 bridge
Coordinates	26°37′57.55″N 82°04′04.68″W
Carries	CR 78
Crosses	Matlacha Pass
Locale	Matlacha, Florida
Official name	Malacha Pass Bridge
Maintained by	Lee County Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Bascule bridge
Clearance above	9 Feet (with drawbridge lowered)
History
Opened	1927 (original wooden bridge) 1968 (second bridge) 2012 (previous bridge) 2022 (current temporary bridge)
Statistics
Toll	None
Location

The first bridge spanning Matlacha Pass was a small wooden swing bridge. The first bridge's swing span was a recycled span that had previously been used on the Alva Bridge.[1] The first bridge was built largely in part to the influence of Pine Island resident Harry Stringfellow, who served as a county commissioner from 1926 to 1953.[2]

The first bridge was replaced with a concrete bascule bridge in 1968.[3] The bridge became a very popular fishing spot for local residents, and was nicknamed "The fishingest bridge in the world".[3] The current bascule bridge opened on November 18, 2012,[4][5] until it was destroyed less than a decade later as a result of Hurricane Ian. The current span prior to its collapse was 9 feet tall, similar to its predecessor.[6]

After its demolition, the previous bridge (the one built in 1968) was made into an artificial reef at Novak's reef, which is about 3 miles off the coast of Charlotte County.[7] In the wake of Hurricane Ian, a temporary bridge was quickly constructed and opened to traffic in October 2022.[8][9]