| The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the world's
| |
| | disaster, the northbound span carried one
|
| longest cable-stayed concrete bridge,
| |
| | lane in either direction until the
|
| with a length of 29,040 feet (exactly 5.5
| |
| | current bridge opened. The main span of
|
| miles or approximately 8.85 km). It is
| |
| | the northbound bridge was demolished in
|
| part of I-275 (SR 93) and US 19 (SR 55),
| |
| | 1992 and the approaches for both old
|
| connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas
| |
| | spans were made into the Skyway Fishing
|
| County, Florida and Palmetto in Manatee
| |
| | Pier State Park. These approaches sit 1/2
|
| County, Florida, passing through
| |
| | 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 the
|
| It is constructed of steel and concrete.
| |
| | broken section of the old bridge that
|
| Its longest span is 1200 feet (366 m),
| |
| | would not have improved shipping
|
| which is 193 feet (58.8 m) over the
| |
| | conditions. The new bridge's main span is
|
| water. Twenty-one steel cables clad in
| |
| | 50% wider than the old bridge. The piers
|
| nine-inch steel tubes along the center
| |
| | of the main span and the approaches for 1
|
| line of the bridge support the structure.
| |
| | 4 mile (0.4 km) in either direction are
|
| It was designed by the Figg & Muller
| |
| | surrounded by large concrete barriers
|
| Engineering Group, and built by the
| |
| | called "dolphins" that can protect the
|
| American Bridge Company.
| |
| | bridge piers from collisions with
|
| In November 2005, an act of Florida
| |
| | freighters larger than the Summit
|
| Legislature officially named the current
| |
| | Venture.
|
| bridge the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway
| |
| | Bridge suicides
|
| Bridge, after the Governor of Florida who
| |
| | According to compilations from various
|
| presided over its design and most of its
| |
| | media reports, at least 96 people have
|
| construction. According to sources, he
| |
| | committed suicide by jumping from the
|
| was inspired to suggest the current
| |
| | center span into the waters of Tampa Bay
|
| design by a visit to France, where he saw
| |
| | since the opening of the new bridge in
|
| a similar cable-stayed bridge. [1]
| |
| | 1987 and many more have tried. Another 51
|
| The original bridge was dedicated to
| |
| | 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 as
|
| considered the "flag bridge" of Florida.
| |
| | method of demise for the depressed, the
|
| The present bridge replaces a steel
| |
| | State of Florida installed six crisis
|
| cantilever bridge of the same name. The
| |
| | hotline phones along the center span in
|
| original two-lane bridge was completed in
| |
| | 1999, and began 24-hour patrols. As of
|
| 1954, with a similar structure built
| |
| | 2003, the call center received 18 calls
|
| parallel to it in 1969 to make it a
| |
| | from potential jumpers, all of whom
|
| four-lane bridge and bring it to
| |
| | survived, according to a St. Petersburg
|
| Interstate standards. The southbound span
| |
| | Times report. However, the total number
|
| (the one built in 1969) was destroyed on
| |
| | of jumpers has not significantly declined
|
| May 9, 1980, when the freighter SS Summit
| |
| | since the introduction of these
|
| Venture collided with a pier during a
| |
| | safeguards.
|
| storm, sending over 1200 feet (366m) of
| |
| | On April 27, 1997, a group of daredevils
|
| the bridge plummeting into Tampa Bay. The
| |
| | did a "pendulum swing" off the bridge,
|
| collision caused several automobiles and
| |
| | where they were to go back and forth on a
|
| a Greyhound bus to fall 150 feet (46 m),
| |
| | rope attached to the cast-off point,
|
| killing 35 people.
| |
| | eventually ending up directly below where
|
| One man, Wesley MacIntire, survived the
| |
| | they had started. This failed when the
|
| fall when his pickup truck landed on the
| |
| | rope snapped, plunging them 60 meters
|
| deck of the Summit Venture before falling
| |
| | into the water, leading to broken bones
|
| into the bay. He sued the company that
| |
| | and neck injuries. [6]
|
| owned the ship, and settled for $175,000
| |
| | Trivia
|
| in 1984. [4] He always regretted being
| |
| | In the last scene of the crime film The
|
| the only one to survive the fall, and
| |
| | Punisher, the hero of the movie stands on
|
| died in 1989.
| |
| | the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The movie was
|
| The pilot of the ship, John Lerro, was
| |
| | set in the Tampa Bay area.
|
| cleared of wrongdoing by both a state
| |
| | The original opening credits to the 1988
|
| grand jury and a Coast Guard
| |
| | Superboy TV series showed the hero flying
|
| investigation. Although Lerro resumed his
| |
| | over the damaged span and then turning to
|
| shipping duties soon afterward, he was
| |
| | view the new bridge under construction.
|
| 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 to
|
| current end north of Palmetto when the
| |
| | reinforce the corroded sections of the
|
| bridge opened. After the Summit Venture
| |
| | bridge, ensuring its future safety
|
