How long is the st petersburg bridge

Flickr CityofStPete. Flickr Matthew Paulson. Flickr Jeff Krause. Flickr Diana Robinson. Florida In Your Inbox spinner. Thank you! You will receive your first email soon. The views from this bridge are spectacular if you don't have a fear of heights. Don't be fooled by its sunny name, the history alone makes going over "Sunshine Skyway Bridge" scary. In , the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a support column during a blinding thunderstorm causing the bridge to collapse.

The collision caused six cars, a truck, and a Greyhound bus to fall feet 46 m into the water, killing 35 people. On top of this, people have committed suicided by jumping off the center span into the Tampa Bay waters since when the new bridge was reconstructed. Prior to that, another 51 people have jumped to their deaths before the older bridge collapsed.

There are now 6 suicide hotlines placed along the bridge as a safety precaution and a constant reminder to its past. It is a toll road. During periods of severe thunderstorms, high winds and hurricanes, it is often shut down due to high wind advisories.

Avoid on a very windy or foggy day or storm as it generally is closed at that time. To access it from the south, travelers could take the Bee Line Ferry, though only one to two thousand cars could reportedly make it across each day. The only way to drive to St. Petersburg from the south was to take U. For three decades, people kicked around the dream of using a tunnel or bridge to cross the bay.

When the original Skyway was built, it had one span and two lanes. In , traffic prompted construction of a second span carrying southbound motorists west of the original span. Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? The St. A panel of local judges sifted through each submission. A grand opening ceremony christening the Sunshine Skyway Bridge took place early in St. Petersburg on the morning of Sept. Ice cream and soda vendors lined the streets and dignitaries and politicians gathered to speak.

Then, the motorcade started: At a. A dozen planes and two helicopters flew over the triumphant inaugural drive. When the motorcade made it to Bradenton on the other side, they held the opening ceremony all over again.

After the motorcade, the bridge was opened to the public. Tolls were suspended from 11 a. Toll operators counted 15, cars on that first day. A total of spans with five girders form the low level trestles. The high-level approach spans, made of post-tensioned segmental box girder segments totaling 18 spans, have a total length of 5,ft and are located on either side of the bridge. The main span comprises two towers located in the centre of the bridge, which is supported by 42 continuous stay cables with 21 located on either side, sheathed in 9in diameter steel pipes.

The 40ft-wide roadway on the main span is made of over precast concrete segments. Following the accident in , ensuring the safety of the new bridge was a big priority. The bridge was painted bright yellow to represent the sunshine state of Florida. The Skyway Bridge is currently undergoing routine repairs. The maintenance activities began in June and are expected to be completed in fall Controlled Demolition, a US based company, was responsible for the demolition of the olde bridge.

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