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13-632: The Pine Island Causeway begins on the main land in Cape Coral. Heading west, the first bridge is the Matlacha Pass Bridge , a low level single-leaf bascule bridge . The causeway then enters the community of Matlacha on dredged land connected to Porpoise Point Island and West Island. The Porpoise Pass Canal Bridge on the causeway connects the two islands. The causeway then crosses the Little Pine Island Bridge ,

26-526: A drawbridge or a lifting bridge ) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span , or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed. The name comes from the French term for balance scale , which employs the same principle. Bascule bridges are the most common type of movable span because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate, while providing

39-571: A "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large axle that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by Joseph Strauss of the fixed-trunnion. The rolling lift trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer William Donald Scherzer . The rarer Rall type combines rolling lift with longitudinal motion on trunnions when opening. It

52-479: A low-level fixed-span bridge, to Pine Island. The Pine Island Causeway was first built in 1926 and opened for traffic in 1927. It was built largely in part to the influence of Pine Island resident Harry Stringfellow (for whom the nearby Stringfellow Road is named), who served as a county commissioner from 1926 to 1953. Before the causeway was built, Stringfellow would have to travel from his home in Pineland via

65-483: A mule-drawn wagon south to St. James City to catch a steamboat to Fort Myers for county commission meetings. This process would often take all day one-way, meaning that Stringfellow was away from home for county commission meeting for days at a time. This led him to fight for the construction of the causeway to improve transportation to and on Pine Island. When first built, the causeway originally consisted of wooden bridges with land dredged from oyster beds in between

78-413: Is called the load moment . By extension, a counterbalance force balances or offsets another force, as when two objects of equal weight, power, or influence are acting in opposition to each other. Metronome : A wind-up mechanical metronome has an adjustable weight and spring mechanism that allows the speed to be adjusted by placement of the weight on the spindle. The tempo speed is decreased by moving

91-583: The bridges. The original Matlacha Pass Bridge included a swing span, which was a recycled span that had previously been used on the Alva Bridge over the Caloosahatchee River . The roadway crossing the causeway was added to the state highway system in 1931 and the route was initially designated as State Road 183 (SR 183). SR 183 and a number of other roads became part of SR 78 during the 1945 Florida state road renumbering . The roadway

104-629: The causeway reopened for public use on October 5, 2022. The Florida Department of Transportation is working with Lee County on permanent repairs to the Pine Island Causeway. The agencies are planning to fully replace the Little Pine Island Bridge with a more resilient bridge. 26°37′57.55″N 82°04′04.68″W  /  26.6326528°N 82.0679667°W  / 26.6326528; -82.0679667 Bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as

117-422: The lifting machine. Counterweights are often used in traction lifts (elevators), cranes and funfair rides. In these applications, the expected load multiplied by the distance that load will be spaced from the central support (called the "tipping point") must be equal to the counterweight's mass times its distance from the tipping point in order to prevent over-balancing either side. This distance times mass

130-425: The possibility for unlimited vertical clearance for marine traffic. Bascule bridges have been in use since ancient times, but until the adoption of steam power in the 1850s, very long, heavy spans could not be moved quickly enough for practical application. There are three types of bascule bridge and the counterweights to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck. The fixed- trunnion (sometimes

143-458: The previous bridge (the one that operated from 1968 to 2012) was made into an artificial reef at Novak's reef, which is about 3 miles off the coast of Charlotte County. On September 28, 2022, the Pine Island Causeway was heavily damaged by the landfall of Hurricane Ian . The hurricane washed out the approaches to the bridges making them impassible, which greatly hindered rescue and recovery efforts on Pine Island. After completing temporary repairs,

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156-543: Was patented (1901) by Theodor Rall. One of the few surviving examples is the Broadway Bridge (1913), in Portland, Oregon. Counterweight A counterweight is a weight that, by applying an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system . The purpose of a counterweight is to make lifting the load faster and more efficient, which saves energy and causes less wear and tear on

169-537: Was transferred to county control in the 1980s. The original swing bridge over Matlacha Pass was replaced with a concrete bascule bridge in 1968. The bridge became a very popular fishing spot for local residents, and was nicknamed "The fishingest bridge in the world". The Little Pine Island Bridge was replaced with its current concrete bridge in 1977. The Porpoise Pass Canal Bridge was replaced with its current concrete structure in 1979. The current Matlacha Pass Bridge opened on November 18, 2012. After its demolition,

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