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The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway BridgeFri. Jan. 22, 2010

I was hoping that the trip back on The Sunshine Skyway Bridgewould offer a better photo opportunity than the trip up thatmorning in the battering rain that yielded only this:

It was considerably better FINALLY!

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However, these pics still dont give you the full majesty of thisengineering marvel. For that, I visited The Sunshine SkywayBridge website

http://www.interstate275florida.com/images/ssb/Perspective/10.JPG

where I found this photo:

http://www.interstate275florida.com/images/ssb/Perspective/10.JPGhttp://www.interstate275florida.com/images/ssb/Perspective/10.JPGhttp://www.interstate275florida.com/images/ssb/Perspective/10.JPGhttp://www.interstate275florida.com/images/ssb/Perspective/10.JPG

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If you want history on the project:http://www.interstate275florida.com/ssb.htm

If youd rather not click on the link, then heres the copy:

IntroductionOpened to traffic in 1987, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is acable stayed bridge with a vertical clearance of 191 feet abovethe 1,200-foot wide shipping channel over Tampa Bay. Thesight is beautiful and majestic as you cross depending on the

time of day. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a popular touristattraction as well as a favorite among St. Petersburg residentsand visitors year in and year out. The Sunshine Skyway Bridgecarries not only Interstate 275, but it multiplexes with US 19from Exit 17 (54 Av S) to Exit 5 (US 19 South).

http://www.interstate275florida.com/ssb.htmhttp://www.interstate275florida.com/ssb.htm

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(The) Toll to drive across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is $1.00for passenger cars, and can be paid with cash or SunPass (anelectronic toll collection device that makes driving on toll roadsand bridges in Florida more convenient).

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has a colorful history from itsheydays as a single two-lane cantilever span in 1954 to thepresent four-lane cable-stayed span. In triumph and tragedy,the present cable-stayed and the former cantilever spans of theSunshine Skyway Bridge are an icon of the Tampa Bay area.

The beginning of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge: The 1954cantilever span

I wrote a term paper about the Sunshine Skyway Bridge backwhen I was in high school during my senior year. The need fora lower Tampa Bay crossing can be traced back to the 1920swhen a suspension bridge was proposed. However, it metopposition from shipping interests in Tampa, who wanted atunnel instead. All ideas of a bridge or tunnel had to be put onthe shelf when World War II broke out.

After World War II the idea of a bridge was resurfaced. Theneed for a bridge was justified due to the traffic using the BeeLine Ferry as it was the only way to get to Bradenton and pointssouth without having to make the long drive through Tampa.

The makeup of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge would be asystem of bridges and dredged causeways crossing lowerTampa Bay. Each structure would be identified by a letter, withStructure A being the drawbridge crossing the IntracoastalWaterway and Structures B, D and E being small fixed spanbridges. The main span would be Structure C, which wouldcarry the majestic cantilever through truss section as it crossesthe shipping channel in Tampa Bay.

Construction began on the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge in

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1950 and it was completed in 1954 with a gala grand openingceremony on Labor Day weekend of that year. The originalbridge was a cantilever through-truss with a vertical clearanceof 150 feet and a shipping channel clearance of 864 feet, whichwas adequate for ships of that era. One can admire thearchitecture of the major support piers on either side of theshipping channel as well as the three other support piers on thedeck truss section of the bridge. The only thing that givesanyone the jitters is the steel grid deck as one crosses theshipping channel and the humming sound it makes as onedrives across.

For those that don't know the experience of driving across a

steel grid deck bridge, it's basically the same as if you weredriving across a drawbridge, only it's longer. Speaking ofdrawbridges, the first bridge as you leave St. Petersburg goingsouth was a drawbridge.

Within a few months of the Sunshine Skyway's opening of theoriginal 1954 span it became popular with residents and visitorsalike. Gone were the days of having to make the roundabout

drive through Tampa or having to take the Bee Line Ferry inorder to reach Bradenton, Sarasota and points beyond.

The 1971 cantilever span: From blueprint to disasterWithin a few years traffic increased so much that it justified asecond span to accommodate southbound traffic. Plans wereprepared for construction of a second cantilever span utilizingthe same plans as the Sunshine Skyway's 1954 counterpart.

Construction on the southbound span began in 1967 but it wasnot finished until 1971 due to settling of a major pier requiringmajor repair. It was believed that the pilings driven into the baybottom to support the pier were of concrete as opposed to steeland were not driven deep enough to the limestone below.Repairs to the south channel pier were accomplished by

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driving steel pilings to the limestone and bracing the supportpier to make the bridge safe for travel.

Except for the major south channel pier, all the other pierswere designed and built identical to their 1954 counterparts. Ihave drawn a comparison of the major support piers so that youcan notice the difference.

The 1971 span when opened carried southbound traffic and itmeant the difference; the 1954 span was converted toaccommodate northbound traffic. The 1971 southbound spanof the Sunshine Skyway Bridge served its purpose for nineyears until a stormy May morning in 1980 which will be forever

etched in Tampa Bay area history.

On 9 May 1980 at 7:38 AM the Summit Venture, under thecommand of harbor pilot John Lerro, struck the southboundspan of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in a blinding rainstorm,toppling much of the southbound span into Tampa Bay andcosting 35 lives including several aboard a Greyhound busdestined for Miami. There were two survivors, Wesley McIntire

who went off the damaged end and swam to safety (the crew ofthe Summit Venture threw a lifeline and pulled Wesley McIntireaboard) and Richard Hornbuckle who stopped his BuickSkylark a mere 14 inches from plummeting into the churningwaters of Tampa Bay 150 feet below.

After the Skyway disaster there was a choice that had to bemade: Repair or replace? One side wanted the bridge repairedwhile the other side wanted a whole new bridge. After all, twoway traffic was once again being maintained on the 1954 span.A decision was made to replace the Sunshine Skyway Bridgewith a cable-stayed bridge modeled after a bridge in France.

The 1987 cable-stayed span: A much better improvementthan its cantilever counterparts

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As Interstate 275 was being built through St. Petersburg, theneed for a Sunshine Skyway Bridge that is up to interstatestandards was more obvious. Shortly after the 1980 SunshineSkyway disaster there was talk briefly of not including Interstate275 with the Sunshine Skyway, but the need was greatly

justified, especially with the construction of the replacementcable-stayed bridge. Both the 1954 and 1971 cantilever spansdid not meet interstate standards.

Work begun on replacing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1984and it was completed with a lot of fanfare with a dedicationceremony in February 1987 and the grand opening in April1987. Two years later in 1989 the roads leading up to the

Sunshine Skyway were brought up to interstate standards,including the construction of overpasses at the north and southrest areas to better facilitate access. In 1994 the drawbridgeswere replaced by high level fixed span bridges similar to theHoward Frankland Bridge thereby correcting a potential trafficbottleneck when the drawbridges were up.

The old Sunshine Skyway Bridge was demolished in 1991 and

the resulting ends were converted into fishing piers. Today allthat remains of the 1954 and 1971 bridges are that of thefishing piers that were created. Once the new span wasopened the 1954 and 1971 spans including their main channelsupport piers were a navigation hazard necessitating theirdemolition.

In November 2005 the Sunshine Skyway was renamed theBob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge in honor of the formerFlorida governor who I believe made the right decision toreplace the 1954 and 1971 cantilever spans with a new cablestayed bridge, modeled after a similar bridge in France. Afterthe old southbound (1971) span of the Sunshine Skywaycollapsed on 9 May 1980 Pinellas and Manatee interestswanted the old cantilever bridge rebuilt as soon as possible

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while Hillsborough interests wanted a tunnel; the decision toreplace the old bridges with the new cable stayed bridgepleased both interests.