Floridas version of Nantucket as some call it, Gasparilla Island lies off the southwest coast of Florida between Sarasota and Ft. Myers.  Lined with white sand beaches and turquoise water, youll find no high rise hotels or condos here, nor a single traffic light.  The Boca Grande Swing Bridge is the only land link between Charlotte County and the island.  Built in 1952-1958, the swing bridge spans two 80-feet wide channels on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. 

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) is a State of Florida Special Tax District which includes all voters within the geographic area from the CR 775/Causeway intersection (Charlotte County), south along the Boca Grande Causeway past North & Cole Islands to Gasparilla Island s village of Boca Grande (Lee County).  The public residing within the GIBA district own and maintain the bridge along with two others and 2.5 miles of single lane causeway, County/State Road 771.  Toll collections for crossing the waterway by bridge is the source of revenue GIBA has for maintaining these roadways.  After decades of wear and corrosion on the old bridges, GIBA made a decision to begin a replacement project.  The final step in that is the replacement of the swing bridge.

The new swing bridge will be taller increasing the closed vertical clearance from 9 under the old bridge, to over 20 under the new bridge.  This will assist boaters traveling the Intracoastal as well as improve vehicle traffic by decreasing the frequency of bridge openings.  Boca Grande Pass is world renowned for its tarpon fishing during the annual tarpon run.  Boaters by the hundreds line the pass all angling for their shot at catching a monster tarpon.  This new bridge will serve the community well with the improvements it provides. 

Protection for vehicles traversing the bridge is provided by a Wyoming Tube Type bridge railing system.  This is a strong railing system using HSS 6 x 4 and 6 x 3 tubing with heavy plate constructed posts.  This railing system was chosen because of its strength, but also because its height and construction will allow passersby a grand view of the surrounding waterway and islands.  Located over salt water and in the tropical marine environment as it is, there was only one choice for the protection of this barrier railing, hot-dip galvanizing. 

Because the bridge is privately owned and receives no Federal or State monies, initial cost of the construction and maintenance costs of the bridge year over year are very critical factors.  Hot-dip galvanizing provided a cost efficient solution for the corrosion prevention protection on the steel.  Hot-dip galvanizing requires little to no maintenance which will contribute to cost reduction in their annual budget.  Through its cathodic protection, hot-dip galvanizing will provide a long life to this steel railing.  Along with the railing, other steel assemblies such as access ladders and safety railing that are installed on this bridge are also hot-dip galvanized.  The appearance of the hot-dip galvanizing blends well with the surrounding materials and environment.  This bridge will serve its community well, and hot-dip galvanizing will be working to ensure that its service lasts for decades to come.