Causeway to Sanibel
— three bridges, two islands, one slow turn toward the Gulf.
Not only on a wall.
Causeway to Sanibel, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
Each tile ships in a kraft box, tied with cream ribbon, with a handwritten note from the studio if you'd like to add one.
Three or five different vistas, hung together — a chapter of places you've been, or want to go.
“The drive that ends in shells. Three low bridges hop across San Carlos Bay from the Punta Rassa mainland, pausing on two small spoil islands where pelicans line the rails and people pull off to fish. The original 1963 causeway was torn apart by Hurricane Ian in September 2022; a temporary fix had cars rolling again in seventeen days, and the replacement bridges sit a little higher now. The toll is six dollars one way. The water beneath stays a flat, light green almost all the way across.
The place, in three passes.
The Sanibel Causeway carries County Road 867 across San Carlos Bay from Punta Rassa, on the Lee County mainland, to Sanibel Island. It is roughly three miles end to end, made of three bridge spans and two small constructed islands that serve as causeway parks. The original toll bridge opened on May 26, 1963, replacing the ferry that had been the island's only road connection. Hurricane Ian severed multiple sections of the causeway on September 28, 2022; emergency repairs reopened it to vehicles within seventeen days, and the permanent replacement spans were completed in 2024.
San Carlos Bay is a shallow estuary where the Caloosahatchee River meets the Gulf of Mexico. Average depth across most of the bay is under ten feet, which keeps the water bright and warm and the bottom visible from the bridge. The two causeway islands, called Causeway Islands Park, are popular with locals for shore fishing, kiteboarding, and shelling on the lee side. Dolphin are sighted from the spans almost daily, and during winter the bay is a regular wintering ground for white pelican alongside the resident brown.
The toll is collected only on the way onto Sanibel, currently $6 for a two-axle vehicle; the return is free. The causeway is open 24 hours. The two islands have free parking, restrooms, and shallow beaches with no lifeguards. Speed limit on the spans is 45 mph and crossing takes about six minutes in light traffic. The bridges are not designed for pedestrians; the shoulder is narrow and bicyclists are advised to use the Sanibel-side shared-use path that begins at the island gateway.
