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Fact Box

Jim Cooper at a glance

Age: 65

Family: Divorced with four children

Education: Birmingham Southern

Job: executive director Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority

Staff: 20

Started: April 1998

Former job: Retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1993. "I used to fly jets."

How did you discover Boca Grande: "I saw an ad in the paper. I figured if I could run the operations of an Air Force base with 95 employees, I could run the operations of a bridge.

Favorite bridge (other than Gasparilla): Blackburn Point Swing Bridge on Casey Key built in 1925 with the first bond issued by Sarasota County.

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Jim Cooper, the only executive director the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has ever had, is poised to undertake one of the largest jobs of his entire career: rebuilding the three aging bridges connecting the island with the mainland at an estimated cost of $40 million. This week, Cooper talks about that challenge and others he's encountered in his career.

Question: Why must these bridges be replaced?

Answer: They're old. These bridges were never built with sidewalks or shoulders. They were never built for the future.

Q: They've lasted more than 50 years. Is that unusually long?

A: We've done a lot of things to be proactive. We're constantly welding on the swing bridge. It's deteriorating because of rust and trucks and cars passing over the bridge. It's a function of age and wear and tear.

Q: What is GIBA responsible for maintaining?

A: The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority maintains three bridges - the Boca Grande swing bridge and two fixed concrete bridges - and 2.5 miles of single-lane causeway known as Charlotte County Road 771. As one travels south on the GIBA Causeway toward Boca Grande, Charlotte County maintains the next .8 miles of CR 771. The 3-mile final leg of CR 771 is maintained by Lee County. All of this roadway lies within the GIBA Special District taxing and voting area. No federal, state or county taxes are used to pay for GIBA roads and bridges.

Q: What are the bridge dimensions?

A: The Boca Grande Swing Bridge spans two 80-foot wide channels on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Placida. The bridge was built with private funds from 1952-58 to replace the ferry service. The steel swing span is 213 feet long. Posted vessel clearances are 9 feet at the low point and 13 feet at the high point. It is one of the largest operational swing bridges in Florida and the United States.

Q: Who owns the bridge?

A: It was the only privately owned toll bridge in the state until it was purchased on Jan. 5, 1998, by the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority. Today the owners are the residents in the GIBA Special Taxing District.

Q: What do the reduced traffic counts going over the bridge tell you about the Gasparilla Island economy?

A: We've been in a down cycle for the last two months with our lowest traffic levels in five years. We were down 9 percent and 10 percent, respectively, in October and September from last year.

Q: How rough a storm can the new administration building take?

A: We're 17 feet above sea level. We can withstand a Category 3 storm.

Q: Tell me something unique about GIBA's toll operations.

A: We're the only toll plaza in the state that has a truck scale built into the toll booth. Believe me, we turn them around if they weigh more than 40,000 pounds. We also have the only landscaped toll booth in the state.

Q: Just past the toll booth on the island side there are two giant gears mounted on land. Are they decorative or could they still be used?

A: Those were the gears for the original bridge. They cost $75,000 apiece to build in Birmingham, Ala. I keep them around just in case.

Q: What's your biggest challenge as executive director?

A: Making sure people understand the toll rates, restrictions and enforcement of the rules.

Q: What is a key to being a first-class bridge operation?

A: We try to do all our work in the summertime so it doesn't affect people in season.

Q: Why did you spend $6,000 to place speed bumps on the bridge?

A: It's cut our welding spending from $12,000 annually to less than $4,000. In one year it's already paid for itself.

Q: How many times is the bridge raised per day?

A: Eight times to more than 30 in season. Each opening takes at least four minutes.

Q: Do you enjoy your job?

A: I love this job. I enjoy making things happen.

Q: Any retirement plans yet?

A: I'd like to get the bridges built first, if I'm able.

Q: Why are tolls the fairest way to fund the bridge building and maintenance for Gasparilla Island?

A: Simply put, if you do not use the bridges, you don't pay for them.

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