Sunshine Skyway Bridge

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SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE -- HISTORY 1954-1999

BUILDING BIG: Databank: Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Sunshine Skyway Disaster

PROJECT OVERVIEW

In June, 1982, construction began on this 4 mile, 6.4 km. bridge across Tampa Bay, Florida. The main span cable-stayed structure, with a precast deck superstructure, was designed by Figg & Muller, the approaches were designed by the Florida Dept. of Transportation. This massive bridge was equipped with a bridge protection system, designed by Parsons Brinkerhoff. This protection system was developed to withstand an impact from an 87,000-ton tanker traveling at 10 knots.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has a main span of 1200 ft., 365.7 m. and a vertical clearance of 193 ft., 58.8 m.. Completed in April, 1987, at a construction cost of approximately $245 million, the bridge safely carries four lanes of traffic (20,000 cars a day) back and forth from Pinellas County (St. Petersburg) to Manatee County.

Project Update:

As of 4-24-01

One of the 536 vertical steel tendons that hold together the bridge's 76 hollow pillars has failed from corrosion, and inspectors have discovered potentially harmful rust on several others. For more information click here.