Sunshine Skyway Bridge Live Cam

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge spanning Tampa Bay in Florida, United States. Here's a brief history of the bridge:

• The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge was a cantilever bridge that opened to traffic in 1954. It connected St. Petersburg and Terra Ceia and was a vital link in the U.S. Route 19 highway.
• In 1969, a collision between the SS Summit Venture and a pier of the bridge caused a section of the bridge to collapse, killing 35 people.
• In 1980, construction of a new bridge began. The new bridge was designed as a cable-stayed bridge, which is more resistant to high winds and was deemed safer than the original cantilever bridge.
• The new Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened to traffic in 1987. It is 4 miles long and has a vertical clearance of 193 feet, allowing large ships to pass under it.
• The bridge has won numerous awards for its design and construction, including the Presidential Design Award and the American Institute of Steel Construction's Most Beautiful Steel Bridge award.
• In 2005, the Florida Department of Transportation added a suicide prevention barrier to the bridge to prevent people from jumping off it.

Today, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is an iconic landmark of the Tampa Bay area and is an important transportation link for the region.

The idea of a bridge across Tampa Bay dates back to the 1930s. At the time, the only way to cross the bay was by ferry, which was slow and unreliable. The Florida State Road Department (the precursor to the Florida Department of Transportation) began studying the feasibility of a bridge as early as 1932.

In the 1940s and 1950s, several proposals for a bridge were put forward. One proposal called for a low-level bridge that would have been less expensive but would have obstructed ship traffic. Another proposal called for a high-level bridge, similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but it was deemed too expensive.

In 1950, the State Road Department approved a plan for a cantilever bridge that would connect St. Petersburg and Terra Ceia. The bridge was designed by Figg & Muller Engineers, Inc. and was built by the American Bridge Company.

Construction of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge began in 1952 and was completed in 1954. The bridge was 5.5 miles long and had a vertical clearance of 155 feet, which allowed ships to pass underneath it. The bridge cost $26 million to build and was financed by tolls.

However, the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge had some design flaws that made it vulnerable to accidents. The bridge was narrow and had only two lanes in each direction, which caused traffic congestion. In addition, the bridge had a sharp turn at the southern end, which made it difficult for drivers to navigate.

After the collapse of the original bridge in 1980, a new bridge was proposed and designed as a cable-stayed bridge, which is more resistant to high winds and has a wider deck with four lanes in each direction. The new bridge was completed in 1987 and has become an iconic landmark of the Tampa Bay area.

The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1954, was a cantilever bridge that connected St. Petersburg and Terra Ceia in Florida, United States. Here's some information about its construction:

• The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Figg & Muller Engineers, Inc., and was built by the American Bridge Company.
• The construction of the bridge took two years, from 1952 to 1954, and cost $26 million (equivalent to $251 million in 2022).
• The bridge was 5.5 miles long and had a vertical clearance of 155 feet, which allowed ships to pass underneath it.
• The bridge was constructed using a cantilever design, which is a type of bridge that uses two arms to support the deck. The arms were anchored on opposite sides of the bridge and extended out over the water until they met in the middle, where they were connected to a central span.
• The central span of the bridge was made of steel and was 425 feet long. It was supported by two towers that were 140 feet tall.
• The deck of the bridge was made of steel and concrete and was supported by trusses that were attached to the arms of the bridge.
• The bridge had two lanes in each direction and was financed by tolls.

While the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge was an engineering marvel of its time, it had some design flaws that made it vulnerable to accidents, as evidenced by the tragic collapse of a portion of the bridge in 1980. This led to the construction of a new, safer bridge, which was completed in 1987.

The second span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which opened in 1987, was built to replace the original bridge that collapsed in 1980. Here's some information about the construction of the second span:

• The new bridge was designed as a cable-stayed bridge, which is a type of bridge that uses cables to support the deck instead of trusses. This design was chosen because it is more resistant to high winds and provides a wider deck with four lanes in each direction.
• The construction of the new bridge began in 1982 and took five years to complete. The bridge was built by a joint venture of several companies, including Figg & Muller Engineers, Inc. and the American Bridge Company.
• The new bridge is 4 miles long and has a vertical clearance of 193 feet, which allows large ships to pass underneath it.
• The bridge has a main span that is 1,200 feet long and is supported by two diamond-shaped towers that are 430 feet tall.
• The deck of the bridge is made of steel and concrete and is supported by 42 cables that are attached to the towers.
• The bridge was designed to withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour and was built with advanced engineering techniques to make it resistant to corrosion and other environmental factors.
• The new bridge cost $244 million to build (equivalent to $556 million in 2022) and was financed by tolls.

Today, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is an iconic landmark of the Tampa Bay area and an important transportation link for the region.

The 1980 Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse was a tragic event in which a section of the original bridge, measuring 1,200 feet long, was struck by a freighter during a severe thunderstorm, causing it to collapse and sending 35 people to their deaths. Here's some information about the collapse:

• On May 9, 1980, the freighter Summit Venture, which was carrying a cargo of phosphate, collided with the bridge during a severe thunderstorm. The collision occurred when the ship's radar malfunctioned and the ship's captain lost sight of the bridge in the storm.
• The collision caused a 1,200-foot section of the bridge to collapse, including a number of vehicles that were on the bridge at the time. A total of 35 people died in the collapse, including several who were in their cars and several who were on a Greyhound bus that fell off the bridge and into the water.
• In the aftermath of the collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an investigation and determined that the cause of the accident was the failure of both the ship's crew and the bridge's authorities to take appropriate action to avoid the collision.
• The collapse of the bridge led to the construction of a new, safer bridge that was designed to be more resistant to accidents and environmental factors.
• Today, a memorial park located at the south end of the bridge serves as a tribute to the victims of the collapse and a reminder of the importance of safety in engineering and transportation.

The replacement Sunshine Skyway Bridge was designed and constructed in the aftermath of the 1980 collapse of the original bridge. Here's some information about the replacement bridge:

• The new bridge was designed as a cable-stayed bridge, which is a type of bridge that uses cables to support the deck instead of trusses. This design was chosen because it is more resistant to high winds and provides a wider deck with four lanes in each direction.
• Construction of the new bridge began in 1982 and took five years to complete. The bridge was built by a joint venture of several companies, including Figg & Muller Engineers, Inc. and the American Bridge Company.
• The bridge is 4 miles long and has a vertical clearance of 193 feet, which allows large ships to pass underneath it.
• The bridge has a main span that is 1,200 feet long and is supported by two diamond-shaped towers that are 430 feet tall.
• The deck of the bridge is made of steel and concrete and is supported by 42 cables that are attached to the towers.
• The bridge was designed to withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour and was built with advanced engineering techniques to make it resistant to corrosion and other environmental factors.
• The bridge cost $244 million to build (equivalent to $556 million in 2022) and was financed by tolls.
• The new bridge was opened to traffic on April 30, 1987, and has since become an iconic landmark of the Tampa Bay area and an important transportation link for the region.

The replacement Sunshine Skyway Bridge is considered one of the safest and most beautiful bridges in the world and is a testament to the resilience and innovation of the engineering and construction industries.

Hillsborough County

This area was once rich in aboriginal Floridian sites along the bays, rivers, and marshes. Further inland was hunting camps. With so many natural food sources, this area could support year-round camps.

The Tocobaga Indians lived around the Tampa Bay area. They are believed to have been the same as the Timuquan. In 1763 when the English gained control of Florida, the Tocobagans left with the Spanish and went to Cuba. The Calusa did the same. Thus ended a people that had left remains in the area since 9,000 B.C.

Cockroach Key consists of two shell mounds that were inhabited from 700-1500 A.D. (Not open to the public.) One of these huge mounds had a large number of burials, half of them children. Further examination shows that many of them died of an epidemic. What is also interesting is that this was before European contact.

One of the most important military forts during the Seminole wars was Fort Brooke, established in the 1824. It later became the city of Tampa.

In January 1824 Colonels James Gadsden and George Brooke arrived at Tampa Bay to establish a major military outpost close to the Indian reservation. Brooke chose a site on Hillsborough Bay at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. (On the east side of the river.) The establishment of the fort showed that the government didn't have any problem taking land for its own purposes, even when already occupied. A local settler named Robert Hackley had already homesteaded the land that Brooke picked for the fort. One reason why Brooke declared this land a military reservation was that it was already cleared by Hackley with some nice citrus trees. Brooke didn't even have a problem with making Hackley's home a temporary officers' quarters. Adding to this insult, all of Hackley's property was seized for government use, including the livestock. Years later Hackley's heirs took the government to court, but never got anything.

By 1830 the military reservation around Fort Brooke was 18 square miles. Many settlers moved into the area, and the size of the fort became one of the largest military outposts in the nation by 1838. The fort was designated as the main departure point to remove the Seminole from Florida.

Even before the Second Seminole War started in 1835, trouble was brewing around Fort Brooke. In August 1835, the mail carrier going to Fort King was killed a few miles north of the post, believed to be in retaliation to the incident at Hickory Sink in Alachua County two months before. With news that the Seminoles were getting hostile in Florida, the settlers moved to the area around Fort Brooke for protection. When Osceola killed Seminole Chief Charlie Emathla in November, several hundred Indians from Emathla's town and clan came to the fort for protection. The Indians camped on the opposite side of the Hillsborough River. The fort was safe from attacks most of the war, but there was a siege by the Seminoles early on, and no traffic was allowed to travel to Fort King 100 miles away. Even during the war, the fort was still a frontier outpost, and could not survive without supplies from up north, and the settlers were in constant fear of attack.

Despite Osceola's warnings against troops travelling on the military road, Major Francis L. Dade took 108 men to reinforce the garrison at Fort King in December 1835. Dade ignored the warnings of the Seminoles camped opposite the fort. As he was leaving, the Seminoles remarked that they would not see him again. We are all familiar with Dade's death as the worst ever defeat of American forces by Seminoles on December 28, 1835. (See Sumter County) Many of the soldiers were stationed at Fort Brooke, and there was much grieving by their families when news of the defeat reached them. It was eight weeks until reinforcements arrived to march the military road and bury Dade's command.

In 1837 General Thomas S. Jesup commanded the forces in Florida from Fort Brooke. Jesup negotiated a treaty with the Seminoles, but was disenchanted when Sam Jones and Osceola forced several hundred "friendly" Seminoles camped around the fort to flee in the night. Jesup asked to resign his post in Florida after losing hundreds of Seminole prisoners, but was refused by the War Department. After that, Jesup would capture the Indians by treachery instead of negotiation.

After the end of the Second Seminole War, the size of the military reservation around the fort was reduced. The Seminoles left in Florida still came to trade with the whites, and even developed friendly relations with the Soldiers. War with Mexico in the 1840's made the fort an important post for American troops heading to Mexico.

After the War with Mexico ended, the military reservation was abandoned and the city of Tampa established around the area. A hurricane in 1848 destroyed many of the buildings of the old fort. During the panic in 1849 when there was fear of another war with the Seminoles, the fort was reactivated for a short time. The post was also reactivated during the Third Seminole War in the 1850's and the American Civil War, but in both conflicts it was a minor post.

The post ceased being used for any reason after the 1870's, but its history did not end there. In 1980 the City of Tampa was building a parking garage on the site of the old fort. (Today named the Fort Brooke Parking Garage.) Bones from the cemetery were discovered during the construction. The remains were turned over to the Seminole Tribe, who reburied them on new reservation land on the east side of town. (Bobby Henry's Seminole Village.) Remains of the soldiers were also found, which again shows that not all of the soldiers' remains were moved to St. Augustine in 1842. The Fort Brooke site and later the parking garage were found to have been built on top of an ancient temple mound dating back 10,000 years.

Old Government Springs near Fort Brooke was used during the Second Seminole War as a recreation spot by some famous army generals. The Timuquan Indians were also known to have lived in the area. You probably won't be able to find it today because it is buried under downtown Tampa.

Fort Sullivan was established in 1839 not far from Fort Foster. Another fort was established as a recreation spot for the soldiers on Lake Thonotosassa, which was also the site of a former Seminole village.

Northeast of Tampa, Fort Alafia was built during the panic of 1849.

Places To Visit:

There are many limestone outcroppings on the scenic Hillsborough River. For a long time Native Floridians came here because it was a source for flint. The flint would be made into spear points and arrowheads, tools, and even traded to other places far away. Also at this park is Fort Foster, the best example of a reconstructed Second Seminole War fort anywhere. (One of two reconstructed Seminole War forts in Florida. The Other one is Fort Christmas museum in Orange County.)

Fort Foster was originally built on the Fort King road to protect the river crossing at the Hillsborough River. It was first built by the Alabama militia in March 1836, and at the time named Fort Alabama. Colonel William Lindsay commanded the detachment that built Fort Alabama. He named it in honor of the militia soldiers who constructed it. After building the post, the command left a small garrison there, and went north to the Cove of the Withlacoochee, where they were badly thrashed by the Seminoles.

When the command passed by the fort again returning to Fort Brooke, they surprised a large group of Seminoles watching and constantly harassed the soldiers at the fort. There are even stories of the Seminoles climbing up the tall pine trees and firing into the fort.

Fort Alabama was ordered to be closed after the failed campaign in the Cove of the Withlacoochee. (See Citrus County.) Colonel Chisolm and Lt. Colonel William Foster were put in charge of a detachment of regular Army and Alabama militia for removing stores and supplies from the fort. As they approached the fort, Seminoles attacked them at Thlonotosassa Creek. The Seminoles were driven off after a bayonet charge, and the soldiers had five dead and 24 wounded.

When the soldiers abandoned the fort, they left the powder magazine booby-trapped. A rifle was placed muzzle-down in a powder keg, with a string attached from the trigger to the door handle. When the command left the fort and was about a mile away, they heard an explosion. It is said that several Seminoles were killed in the explosion.

The next season in the war, Lt. Col. William Foster returned and rebuilt the fort. His soldiers named the new post in his honor. This fort was to last much longer than the previous post. The Seminoles still harassed the fort, and there is even one time when they surrounded and besieged it for three weeks.

An interesting part of the history of Fort Foster at this time was that Navy sailors garrisoned it. Commodore Dallas made an agreement with General Jesup to garrison several forts with Navy personnel. This freed up the Army troops in Florida so they could have more personnel searching and fighting Seminoles.

After the war ended it is said that the logs from the fort remained for several years. Although gone today, there are a few timbers from the bridge on display at the fort tour office. Also near the fort have been found the remnants of the garbage pits and siege walls.

The fort today is well worth the visit. One thing that all the reenactors like to see is when the fort is lit up at night during the annual garrison encampment. There are period furnishings in the fort, and the beds in the blockhouse are made of rope stretched over a wood frame, with mattresses stuffed with pine straw. And they are actually quite comfortable.

Tours of Fort Foster leave from Hillsborough River State Park on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and also on holidays. (Closed Christmas and New Year's.) There is a small admission charge for the tours. The fort is closed in summer, which is also known as "the sickly season."

This island served as a military base from 1840 to 1945. Few people realize that it was a prison camp to hold Seminoles during the Third Seminole War. Indian prisoners of war were moved from Fort Myers to this Island at the opening of Tampa Bay. The Army figured that they had tried hard enough to get them that they didn't want to leave any chance of them running off. The Indians were left free to roam about, but no boats were allowed on the Island. The prisoners were described as always peaceful and usually quiet, but when their relatives or others of their people were brought to the island, much crying and wailing occurred.

During the Third Seminole War one of the officers in charge of the Seminole prisoners was Henry Wirz. During the Civil War he was the Confederate officer in charge of the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia, and in 1865 he was the only southern officer executed for war crimes.

Today this island is a wildlife refuge with a manned lighthouse. The only way to get here is by private boat.