Team DeSantis brags of swift bridge rebuilding post-Hurricane Ian as I-95 collapses, faces months shutdown
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political team reacted to the news of an elevated section of I-95 collapsing in Philadelphia, which could result in the repairs taking months.
According to reports, local officials said that both north and southbound lanes of the road extending over the now-destroyed section will be shut down for months.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said a disaster declaration is being issued to speed up the disbursement of federal funds.
“The I-95 in Philadelphia is set to take ‘some number of MONTHS’ to repair,” the DeSantis War Room reacted. “In Florida, when the Pine Island bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Ian, it was rebuilt in three days.”
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida late 2022 as a Category 4 storm. One major bridge that was destroyed was the Pine Island bridge, which allowed that island’s approximately 9,000 residents to travel on and off the island.
DeSantis announced the bridge’s reopening on Oct. 5, 2022 – just a week after Ian’s Sep. 28, 2022 landfall in the region.
“Hats off – really good work. Usually government will promise and under deliver. Well here’s an over-delivering, getting it done ahead of schedule,” DeSantis said at the time.
Another bridge to a Southwest Florida island – the Sanibel Causeway – was decimated as a result of the storm.
That bridge also opened well ahead of schedule, reopening on Oct. 19, 2022, beating multiple estimates from DeSantis and emergency officials that predicted an end-of-month, and then an Oct. 21 reopening date.
That bridge allowed emergency vehicles and trucks back on the island before it reopened to residents.
“This is huge for them to be able to bounce back,” DeSantis said of the reopening. “Starting at 11 a.m., the Causeway will be reopened for the citizens of Lee County.”
The construction took just 15 days. Shortly after the storm cleared and crews assessed damage, DeSantis wanted the bridge repair as a priority.
WATCH: Crews make their way across the newly accessible Sanibel Causeway just a few weeks after Hurricane Ian destroyed it
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) October 19, 2022
The bridge is set to reopen to residents at 11AM pic.twitter.com/XT3ZcHmX62
“The work that has been done to restore vehicle access to Sanibel Island has been historic,” the governor said. “Cutting through bureaucratic red tape and delivering on our promise to get Sanibel Island up and running has been a top priority.”
“By restoring access over the causeway, repair crews, first responders, emergency vehicles, business owners and residents will be better able to expedite recovery from this storm.”
