Gandy Bridge

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The Gandy Bridge spans Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida, USA to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, the others being the Howard Frankland Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

1 Original Gandy Bridge Construction
2 Second Gandy Bridge
3 Third and Fourth Gandy Bridges
4 Mishap History
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Original Gandy Bridge Construction

It was devised and constructed by George "Dad" Gandy, a Philadelphia contractor who had also built a theatre in St. Petersburg. Construction began in September 1922 and the bridge was completed in November 1924. The bridge was concrete and spanned a distance of two and a half miles, making it the longest automobile toll bridge in the world at that time. Its drawbridge had a clearance span of 75 feet. It cost 3 million U.S. dollars to construct. The original toll to cross the bridge was $.75 for an automobile and driver and $.10 for additional passengers.

The bridge reduced the distance between Tampa and St. Petersburg from 43 to 19 miles. Its location enabled travel by auto along the route of the world's first scheduled airline flight, which operated between Tampa and Saint Petersburg for six months in 1914.

The Gandy Bridge opened on November 24, 1924. Sixteen visiting state governors and several foreign dignitaries attended the opening ceremony. During George Gandy's speech, he stated; “The bridge is built!”

Traveling eastbound on the 1976 span of the Gandy Bridge. The bridge to the left is the westbound span, built in 1996. Notice the crane in the middle of the bridge ahead. The construction work was the result of a barge collision with the eastbound span in March 2006.

[edit] Second Gandy Bridge

The original Gandy Bridge was replaced in 1956 with a slightly higher, fixed span. The second bridge remained in use until June 1997. It was closed for two years, until December 11, 1999, when it was reopened to bicycle and pedestrian traffic as the Friendship Trail Bridge.

[edit] Third and Fourth Gandy Bridges

A parallel span was built in the mid 1970s (just feet south of the 1950's bridge), increasing the total number of lanes to four (two going eastbound towards Tampa, and two going westbound toward St. Petersburg. Then in 1996, another parallel span was built in between the two existing spans. The new bridge today, carries westbound traffic, as the 1970's span continues to carry eastbound traffic. As mentioned above, the 1950's bridge is now a pedestrian trail.

The differences between the three bridges are obvious. The 1956 bridge has a very steep hump and no emergency shoulders (which caused horrendous traffic hazzards prior to its closing). The 1976 bridge has a more gradual hump than the oldest bridge, and the pillars supporting the hump are of a different design. However, the remaining architectural elements between the two bridges (bridge rails, etc) are very similar. The 1996 bridge is the one that differs the most from the older bridges. Its height is nine feet higher than its counterparts and has a very gradual hump. The design and architecture of the 1996 bridge is similar to the Clearwater Pass Bridge replacement, which was completed in 1994.

[edit] Mishap History

FEB. 6, 1981: The barge Liquilassie, towed by the tug Tusker, swings wide on a starboard turn and strikes Gandy Bridge, damaging a support column.

AUG. 31, 1985: Two barges break their moorings and, powered by waves from Hurricane Elena, crash into the southernmost span of the bridge.

MARCH 31, 1988: The shrimp boat Madonna T. Tillman sinks after striking the center of the bridge while being towed by another shrimp boat.

MARCH 31, 2006: The 285-foot-long steel barge Apache, towed by the tug Crosby Skipper, swings wide on a turn and slams into a concrete support column. Chunks of reinforced concrete dropped onto the barge's deck, and cracks rippled through the 48-foot-long beam.

For more details see [1]