Updating road conditions for Monday commute into Boca Grande

For those that need to commute into Boca Grande, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority is open, and Boca Grande Fire Department hang tags are not required. Gasparilla Road, which flooded during Hurricane Helene, is also open. However, there is still some standing water and sand on Gasparilla Road. It could mean a slow, careful trip in on Monday, with high water signs.

Lt. Mike Sawicki, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department deputy in charge of Gasparilla Island, reviewed Gasparilla Road at about 5 p.m. Sunday. At that time, he reported that there was still standing water from around 21st Street to 35th Street, and then standing water from Loomis to the Charlotte County line.

This will likely change. As the evening wore on, Lee County public works staff were still there with diesel pumps, as the water was being siphoned through pipes into marshes. The situation was improving by the hour.

“They are still pumping the water out,” said Sawicki.

Through the weekend, traffic had been driving only on the GICIA bike path, where the traffic was one-way, and cars had to stop frequently to let others pass.

In an email, Boca Grande Fire Dept’s Chief C.W. Blosser said that they would be shifting traffic back to Gasparilla Road this Sunday evening.

“There is still water on the road, but it is passable,” said Blosser. “Lee County has deployed a third pump, and the operation is running well. Pumping will continue through the night.”

There may be some water on the road in the morning and it is likely salt, not fresh. So that may be a consideration for some drivers, especially cars with low clearances. Across the island there are small sand dunes in roads, though Lee County dump trucks and bulldozers were clearing sand off roads all weekend.

There will be two Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on duty Monday morning, in case there are issues.

Sunday evening, there was standing water near north of the Boca Grande Hotel complex and Cappy’s in Charlotte County. There, the water was less than a foot deep on along the Grande Quay and Marina Village. It had been clear just after the storm, but rains brought the water back.

All of this might change before Monday.