MIDPOINT MEMORIAL BRIDGE

The 'Midpoint Memorial Bridge' (also locally known as the 'Midpoint Bridge') is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River, connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It is a four-lane fixed span one and one-quarter mile long. The bridge is so-named because its placement situates it roughly halfway between the Cape Coral Bridge to the south, and the Caloosahatchee Bridge to the north.
The bridge was first proposed in the 1970s, but construction was delayed for many years, largely due to opposition in Fort Myers. After a series of court battles, reaching the Florida Supreme Court, construction began in 1995, and the bridge opened in 1997.
Construction of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge resulted in several ancillary road projects as well. In Cape Coral, a new expressway and surface road was constructed, consisting of a six-lane highway named Veterans' Memorial Parkway. In Fort Myers, Colonial Boulevard (S.R. 884) was upgraded to include overpasses over McGregor Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue (U.S. Highway 41). Veterans' Memorial Parkway, the Midpoint Memorial Bridge, and Colonial Boulevard (which intersects with Interstate 75) will all be upgraded once again as the Bi-County Transportation Corridor is constructed. [1] This project will ultimately form a semi-circumferential freeway around Fort Myers.
The bridge is owned by the Lee County Department of Transportation. There is currently a one dollar toll in effect for vehicles traveling in both directions. Florida's statewide "Sunpass" prepaid electronic toll collection system is accepted on the Midpoint Bridge, along with Lee County's "Leeway" prepaid toll system, which is also used on the Cape Coral Bridge, and the Sanibel Causeway.
On the Cape Coral side of the bridge, there is a replica of the statue from the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, Virginia (which is just outside of Washington, D.C.). The statue depicts the six U.S Marines raising the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima.