Road No. 1: From Ruin to Resilience on Sanibel Island

On the morning after Hurricane Ian’s wrath in September 2022, the Sanibel Causeway—a three-mile road that had connected Sanibel and Captiva Islands to mainland Florida for nearly 60 years—was gone. The storm’s 150-mile-per-hour winds and record surge had snapped the vital link like a twig, leaving more than 6,400 residents cut off from the world. Emergency crews couldn’t reach them. Supplies couldn’t get in. The islands, once bustling with tourists, were now isolated.

But seven days later, against all odds, trucks rolled across a rebuilt route—an extraordinary feat of engineering and determination that became the foundation for something even greater: a new, resilient Sanibel Causeway built to outlast the fiercest storms nature can deliver. For these reasons, it is Roads & Bridges’ No. 1 Road of 2025.

“I think when the next emergency infrastructure project comes up, people will ask, 'How did the Sanibel Causeway team do it?'” said Toby Mazzoni, area manager, Superior Construction. “The phased design-build approach let us get emergency access open in seven days and residents back in 15 days, all while planning the permanent fixes. The engineering solutions we came up with — especially the coastal protection system with the armor stone and sheet piling — are already being looked at for other vulnerable spots along the coast. We proved you can move fast without cutting corners on safety or quality. 

“Finishing two years ahead of schedule and under budget shows what's possible when everyone on the team is working toward the same goal. But I think the legacy of this project will live on in the community itself. The people have shown such resiliency.”

Within 24 hours of Ian’s landfall, Superior Construction and the de Moya Group joined forces to lead the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) first-ever progressive design-build emergency response contract. The team mobilized before procurement was finalized, pre-positioning materials and machinery while other regions were still tallying losses.

By early October, their crews had restored emergency access—just seven days after the first shovel hit the ground. That swift action enabled a 450-truck utility convoy to cross the causeway, jump-starting power restoration and lifesaving recovery efforts. It was an unprecedented turnaround, transforming a cut-off community into one reconnected with hope.

The new Sanibel Causeway isn’t just a replacement—it’s a reimagining. Using advanced ADCIRC and SWAN coastal modeling, the design team simulated future Category 5 hurricane impacts, guiding decisions that would redefine resilience.

The roadway was raised by 2 feet, and seawalls were changed from 5 feet to 8 feet above sea level. Vulnerable earth-based retaining walls gave way to steel sheet piles fortified with “King Pile” reinforcement to resist extreme wave action. Concrete mixes were customized for saltwater exposure, incorporating pozzolan additives and Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforcement for a 75-year lifespan.

Even the drainage system was reinvented: an underdrain network equalizes hydrostatic pressure, keeping the structure stable during floods. Every inch of the new causeway reflects lessons learned from Ian—and anticipation of what’s to come.

When traditional access and communications were down, technology became the project’s lifeline. Drones equipped with mapping software captured 3D models of damaged sections in real time. Submersible robots inspected underwater bridge foundations that divers couldn’t reach safely. 

GPS-guided machinery with Automated Machine Control placed massive coastal protection elements with millimeter precision, even in unstable marine conditions. Meanwhile, Building Information Modeling (BIM) allowed engineers, geotechnicians and utility designers to coordinate in a shared virtual space, ensuring every decision served short-term recovery and long-term resilience.

Those tools—and the people using them—turned a logistical nightmare into a technological triumph.

More than a dozen firms contributed, from engineers at Kisinger Campo & Associates to marine experts at INTERA Inc. and survey crews from Johnson Engineering. Their collaboration was seamless, their mission singular: reconnect Sanibel.

Among the unsung heroes was Michael Fortner, construction quality manager for the de Moya Group, whose 24-hour oversight maintained exacting standards through chaos. Equally critical were the marine operators, maneuvering equipment in treacherous post-hurricane waters with unflinching skill.

The true test came in 2024, when three major hurricanes—Debby, Helene and Milton—lashed Southwest Florida. The rebuilt causeway stood firm. Not a crack. Not a closure. The design had done exactly what it promised: protect, preserve, and perform.

Today, 13,000 vehicles cross the Sanibel Causeway every day—residents, tourists, workers and emergency responders traveling a road that symbolizes not just connection, but comeback. What began as an emergency repair became a national model for resilient infrastructure.

“The awards are nice, but we didn’t do this for awards,” Mazzoni said. “A lot of our team members, myself included, live in that part of Florida and during the work we were constantly thinking about the residents, the community, and our families and friends. One of the best rewards was watching people come back to their homes and seeing businesses start to reopen.”

Project: Hurricane Ian Sanibel Island Access

Location: Lee County, Fla.

Owner: Florida Department of Transportation

Designer: Kisinger Campo & Associates, Hardesty & Hanover

Contractor: Superior-de Moya Joint Venture Team

Cost: $328 million

Length: 3 miles