| The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the | | | | disaster, the northbound span carried |
| world's longest cable-stayed concrete | | | | one lane in either direction until the |
| bridge, with a length of 29,040 feet | | | | current bridge opened. The main span of |
| (exactly 5.5 miles or approximately 8.85 | | | | the northbound bridge was demolished in |
| km). It is part of I-275 (SR 93) and US | | | | 1992 and the approaches for both old |
| 19 (SR 55), connecting St. Petersburg in | | | | spans were made into the Skyway Fishing |
| Pinellas County, Florida and Palmetto in | | | | Pier State Park. These approaches sit 1 |
| Manatee County, Florida, passing through | | | | 2 mile (0.8 km) to the south and west of |
| Hillsborough County waters. Construction | | | | the current bridge. |
| of the current bridge began in 1982, and | | | | Graham's idea for the design of the |
| the completed bridge was dedicated on | | | | current bridge won out over other |
| January 11, 1987. The new bridge cost | | | | proposals, including a tunnel (deemed |
| $244 million to build, and was opened to | | | | impractical due to Florida's high water |
| traffic on April 20, 1987. | | | | table) and a simple reconstruction of |
| It is constructed of steel and concrete. | | | | the broken section of the old bridge |
| Its longest span is 1200 feet (366 m), | | | | that would not have improved shipping |
| which is 193 feet (58.8 m) over the | | | | conditions. The new bridge's main span |
| water. Twenty-one steel cables clad in | | | | is 50% wider than the old bridge. The |
| nine-inch steel tubes along the center | | | | piers of the main span and the |
| line of the bridge support the | | | | approaches for 1/4 mile (0.4 km) in |
| structure. It was designed by the Figg & | | | | either direction are surrounded by large |
| Muller Engineering Group, and built by | | | | concrete barriers called "dolphins" that |
| the American Bridge Company. | | | | can protect the bridge piers from |
| In November 2005, an act of Florida | | | | collisions with freighters larger than |
| Legislature officially named the current | | | | the Summit Venture. |
| bridge the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway | | | | Bridge suicides |
| Bridge, after the Governor of Florida | | | | According to compilations from various |
| who presided over its design and most of | | | | media reports, at least 96 people have |
| its construction. According to sources, | | | | committed suicide by jumping from the |
| he was inspired to suggest the current | | | | center span into the waters of Tampa Bay |
| design by a visit to France, where he | | | | since the opening of the new bridge in |
| saw a similar cable-stayed bridge. [1] | | | | 1987 and many more have tried. Another |
| The original bridge was dedicated to | | | | 51 people ended their lives from the old |
| state engineer William E Dean, as noted | | | | Sunshine Skyway from 1954-1987. Several |
| on a plaque displayed at the south rest | | | | other missing persons are suspected of |
| area of the bridge. | | | | having jumped from the bridge, but their |
| The Travel Channel rated the Sunshine | | | | deaths could not be confirmed as no body |
| Skyway #3 in its special on the "Top 10 | | | | was recovered. |
| Bridges" in the World. The bridge is | | | | In response to the bridge's popularity |
| considered the "flag bridge" of Florida. | | | | as method of demise for the depressed, |
| The present bridge replaces a steel | | | | the State of Florida installed six |
| cantilever bridge of the same name. The | | | | crisis hotline phones along the center |
| original two-lane bridge was completed | | | | span in 1999, and began 24-hour patrols. |
| in 1954, with a similar structure built | | | | As of 2003, the call center received 18 |
| parallel to it in 1969 to make it a | | | | calls from potential jumpers, all of |
| four-lane bridge and bring it to | | | | whom survived, according to a St. |
| Interstate standards. The southbound | | | | Petersburg Times report. However, the |
| span (the one built in 1969) was | | | | total number of jumpers has not |
| destroyed on May 9, 1980, when the | | | | significantly declined since the |
| freighter SS Summit Venture collided | | | | introduction of these safeguards. |
| with a pier during a storm, sending over | | | | On April 27, 1997, a group of daredevils |
| 1200 feet (366m) of the bridge | | | | did a "pendulum swing" off the bridge, |
| plummeting into Tampa Bay. The collision | | | | where they were to go back and forth on |
| caused several automobiles and a | | | | a rope attached to the cast-off point, |
| Greyhound bus to fall 150 feet (46 m), | | | | eventually ending up directly below |
| killing 35 people. | | | | where they had started. This failed when |
| One man, Wesley MacIntire, survived the | | | | the rope snapped, plunging them 60 |
| fall when his pickup truck landed on the | | | | meters into the water, leading to broken |
| deck of the Summit Venture before | | | | bones and neck injuries. [6] |
| falling into the bay. He sued the | | | | Trivia |
| company that owned the ship, and settled | | | | In the last scene of the crime film The |
| for $175,000 in 1984. [4] He always | | | | Punisher, the hero of the movie stands |
| regretted being the only one to survive | | | | on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The movie |
| the fall, and died in 1989. | | | | was set in the Tampa Bay area. |
| The pilot of the ship, John Lerro, was | | | | The original opening credits to the 1988 |
| cleared of wrongdoing by both a state | | | | Superboy TV series showed the hero |
| grand jury and a Coast Guard | | | | flying over the damaged span and then |
| investigation. Although Lerro resumed | | | | turning to view the new bridge under |
| his shipping duties soon afterward, he | | | | construction. |
| was forced to retire months later by the | | | | One of the major problems with the |
| onset of multiple sclerosis, which he | | | | Sunshine Skyway Bridge is corrosion of |
| died from in 2002. | | | | the steel in the precast concrete |
| The old bridge replaced a ferry from | | | | segments. Because the segments are |
| Point Pinellas to Piney Point. US 19 was | | | | hollow, workers were able to enter the |
| extended from St. Petersburg to its | | | | bridge superstructure in 2003 and 2004 |
| current end north of Palmetto when the | | | | to reinforce the corroded sections of |
| bridge opened. After the Summit Venture | | | | the bridge, ensuring its future safety |