How About Some Fort Myers Beach History? This aerial shot from Andy Fredlund shows the old swing bridge back in 1977 which used to dump vehicles out on what is now Bayside Park. The current Matanzas Pass Bridge was built and opened in 1979. The original wooden bridge was built in 1921 and this swing bridge replaced it in 1927. The original wooden bridge had a 54 cent toll. Both the wooden bridge and swing bridges were destroyed by hurricanes. When the Matanzas Pass Bridge was originally built it