Clearwater Memorial Causeway

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Memorial Causeway Bridge looking left from under the bridge toward Clearwater Beach.

The Clearwater Memorial Causeway is an elegant four-lane, fixed span bridge that spans the Intercoastal Waterway between downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach. The bridge carries the State Road 60 designation and is locally and nationally known for its pedestrian greenways and walkways (and was designated as Great Florida Birding Trail several years ago) and elegant bridge appearance and structure. It is also a major evacuation route during hurricane season. However, the bridge is most negatively known in the Tampa Bay area for its shoddy construction process and contractor mishaps (similar to its Tampanian counterpart on the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway). As a result of the work, the bridge opened to traffic over a year behind schedule.

1 History
2 Gallery
3 References

[edit] History

The original Memorial Causeway Bridge was a two-lane flat span that opened in the 1920s. It connected downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach for nearly thirty-plus years until it was replaced by a bascule bridge in the 1950s. A portion of the original bridge was demolished with the remaining section kept open as a fishing pier.

Even though the bascule bridge served the needs of Clearwater through its entire lifespan, it became clear in the mid 1990s that a replacement span would be needed. Increasing boat traffic would raise the bridge numerous times throughout any given day, which proved to be especially dangerous when a line of westbound traffic exceeded the bridge approach and extended across the Pierce Blvd intersection. Many alternatives and designs were considered during the planning process, including concepts that ranged from a higher drawbridge to a miniature Sunshine Skyway type bridge. The final design was chosen in 1998 and construction commenced in 2001. The bridge opened to traffic in August 2005.