NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A routine 30-minute commute turned into three-hours for many drivers on Monday after the Florida Department of Transportation shut down the State Road 31 bridge into Fort Myers.
Lyandra Carvalho left for work at 6:50 a.m. expecting her usual half-hour drive. Two hours later, she was still stuck in traffic when she spoke with Fox 4.
"No matter what road you take right now, you're just going to be stuck," Carvalho said.
Click here to see Fox 4 Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak to neighbors about the closure:
The unexpected closure left commuters scrambling for alternate routes, with many missing appointments and meetings.
"It's going to take me almost three hours to get to work, when it should be a 30-minute drive," Carvalho said.
Josue Fernandes, another frustrated driver, had to cancel morning plans entirely.
"I had an appointment this morning. I couldn't even make it there. The traffic had been backed up for hours," Fernandes said.
Multiple drivers expressed frustration over the lack of communication about the closure.
"They didn't give us any warning, any anything at all…at least like a few days in advance," said Dylan Stewart.
Diane Bilton echoed similar concerns about the ongoing traffic issues.
"It's annoying… it's been ongoing," Bilton said.
Tracey Ellis, a Babcock Ranch neighbor, said better planning could have prevented the chaos.
"There was no warning ahead of time. I mean, people could have left early," Ellis said.
When Quevedo reached out to FDOT about the closure, they explained the emergency nature of the repairs.
"The closure of the southbound lane is necessary as FDOT crews make critical repairs to the bridge's steel grid deck in the main span of the bridge, which is damaged and requiring immediate attention," FDOT said in a statement.
However, the department did not provide a timeline for when the bridge would reopen, though they had expected to get the repairs done before the morning rush.
Ellis criticized the handling of the situation.
"It was poorly planned. Whatever happened, there was some type of miscommunication somewhere," Ellis said.
So for now, drivers will have to navigate alternate routes around the closed bridge.
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