Sunshine Skyway Bridge

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, officially called the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, is a very long bridge. It crosses Lower Tampa Bay to connect Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Florida) with Manatee County (Terra Ceia, Florida). The current bridge opened in 1987 and is the second one built at that spot. It was designed by the Figg & Muller Engineering Group and built by the American Bridge Company.

This bridge is very important because it is one of Florida's main bridges. It has four lanes and carries Interstate 275 and U.S. Route 19, going through Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, and Manatee County. There is a toll to cross the bridge for most cars.

Before the current bridge, there was an older bridge that opened in 1954. In 1980, a ship hit part of this older bridge, and part of it fell down. Because of this, the new bridge was built with extra safety features.

The water under the main part of the bridge is very busy with ships going to places like Port Tampa Bay, Port Tampa, the Port of St. Petersburg, and SeaPort Manatee.

History

Precursors and proposals

In 1924, two friends started a ferry service across Lower Tampa Bay. The ferry began in 1927 and moved cars and passengers between St. Petersburg and Terra Ceia.

Later, a man from St. Petersburg suggested building a tall bridge across the bay in 1926. He got permission to build it, but work stopped because of money problems during a tough economic time called the Great Depression.

Construction of original bridge

Work on the first Sunshine Skyway Bridge began in 1950. It took four years to build. The bridge opened in 1954 and was one of the longest in the world at the time.

Original bridge

The first bridge had only two lanes and was dark at night. It was very important for travel between Pinellas County and Manatee County.

Second span

In 1969, workers built a second bridge next to the first one to help with more traffic. But in 1980, a big ship hit the bridge during a sudden storm and part of it fell down. Many cars and a bus dropped into the water, and sadly many people died. One man survived by floating in his truck.

Replacement bridge

After the accident, people decided to build a new, taller bridge with a beautiful design. Construction started in 1983 and finished in 1987. The new bridge had wider spaces for ships to pass safely.

Demolition of former bridge

The old bridge was taken apart in the early 1990s. Some of the old concrete was used to make a place for fishing near the water.

Issues and concerns

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has had some problems over the years. One concern is that the steel in parts of the bridge can corrode, which might weaken it. Workers go inside the bridge to fix these areas and keep it safe. The bridge also needed new paint on its cables to protect it from weather damage.

Another issue is that the bridge is not very tall, which makes it hard for very tall ships to pass underneath. This has affected plans for new cruise ports nearby. To help with this, there have been discussions and laws passed to protect the area around the bridge.

Traffic

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has been in many movies, TV shows, books, and songs. It was in the TV show Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and the movie Superboy. Movies like Loren Cass and The Punisher used the bridge. Authors like Dennis Lehane and Ben Bova wrote stories about it. A song called "Skyway Avenue" by We the Kings is about the bridge. It is often used in car commercials.

In 2012, the United States Postal Service made a special stamp with the bridge. In 2017, new lights were added to make the bridge look nice at night and to keep it safer. These lights were finished in 2019. In 2026, the bridge will stop using cash tolls and only take electronic payments.