PINE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron Desantis and the Florida Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday that a temporary bridge to Pine Island has been completed in less than three days.

The bridge leading from Fort Myers to Pine Island was heavily damaged after Hurricane Ian devastated the area.

Due to the damage, the island was only reachable by boat or air.

The photo on the left shows the damage to the bridge. The photo on the right shows the bridge repaired.

Work on the bridge began Monday and crews worked hard to finish the repairs in monumental timing, DeSantis’ office said.

“Within 24 hours after I asked FDOT to get involved, we had more than 130 trucks rolling in and crews got to work,” DeSantis said. “We made it a priority and we didn’t just get it done – we got it done quick. I want to thank the dedicated FDOT crews for working around the clock to restore the community’s access to Pine Island.”

FDOT said Pine Island is now safe and secure for its 9,000 residents. They will soon begin returning to their homes and start the recovery process.

Officials said permanent repairs to the Pine Island Bridge will be constructed once recovery efforts have subsided.

The permanent replacement is expected to take some time to complete.

DeSantis also announced that a contract to begin repairs to the Sanibel Causeway was awarded.

The repairs to the Sanibel Causeway are expected to be completed by the end of October.