Gandy Bridge
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The Gandy Bridge spans Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida, USA to Tampa, Florida.
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 attended the opening ceremony.
Second Gandy Bridge
The original Gandy Bridge was replaced in 1956. 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.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.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 [link]
External links
- * Satellite image from [WikiMapia], [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
- * Street map from [MapQuest] or [Google Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image from [TerraServer-USA]
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