Sunshine Skyway Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 27°37′30″N 82°39′30″W / 27.625°N 82.65833°W |
Carries | 4 lanes of I-275 / US 19 |
Crosses | Tampa Bay |
Locale | South of St. Petersburg and north of Terra Ceia, Florida |
Official name | Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge |
Other name(s) | The Skyway |
Named for | Bob Graham |
Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
ID number | 150189 |
Characteristics | |
Design | Cable-stayed |
Total length | 4.14 miles (6.7 km) |
Width | 94 feet (29 m) |
Height | 430 feet (131 m)[1] |
Longest span | 1,200 feet (366 m) |
Clearance below | 180.5 feet (55 m)[2] |
No. of lanes | 4 |
History | |
Engineering design by | Figg & Muller Engineering Group |
Constructed by | American Bridge Company |
Construction start | June 1982[3][4] |
Construction cost | $244 million |
Opened | April 20, 1987 |
Replaces | Sunshine Skyway Bridge |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 59,178 (2018)[5] |
Toll | $1.50 for passenger cars or $1.07 with SunPass |
Location | |
(Former) Sunshine Skyway Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 27°37′30″N 82°39′31″W / 27.625°N 82.6586°W |
Carries | 4 lanes of US 19 (as two separate 2-lane bridges for each direction) |
Crosses | Tampa Bay |
Locale | South of St. Petersburg and north of Terra Ceia, Florida |
Characteristics | |
Design | Cantilever bridge |
Material | Steel |
Trough construction | Steel |
Pier construction | Reinforced concrete |
History | |
Construction start | 1950 (original bridge, later converted to northbound only traffic) 1967 (southbound span) |
Construction end | 1954 (northbound span) 1971 (southbound span) |
Opened | September 6, 1954 | (original bridge)
Inaugurated | September 6, 1954 |
Collapsed | May 9, 1980 |
Replaces | Bee Line Ferry |
Replaced by | Sunshine Skyway Bridge |
Location | |
The (Senator) Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, also known as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or the Skyway, is a highway bridge in Tampa Bay, Florida, that crosses 29,040 feet (5.5 miles or about 8.85 km).[6] Every day, about 50,500 vehicles (cars and trucks) cross over the bridge.[7][8][9] The bridge is considered Florida's "flag bridge" (Florida's most important bridge).[10] On May 9, 1980, a freighter ship, called the MV Summit Venture, ran into one of the bridge's supporting columns. 1200 feet (366 meters) of the bridge fell into the water, and 35 people were killed.[11][12] The bridge was reconstructed to its current version in 1987.[13]