A couple of hours after the Carnival Miracle left from Channelside in Tampa, it passed under the Skyway Bridge — a masive suspension bridge that links Manatee and Pinellas counties over the mouth of Tampa Bay. The bridge has crossed that channel since 1955, when the first one was completed; since then, it has been a symbol of Florida’s west coast, but also a draw for tragedy and stunts. When I was a kid, I remember going over the old bridge white-knuckled, in the back of whatever car Dad happened to own that week. The old one was made of steel and concrete, and near the topmost span, you could look through the bridge to the water below. I remember asking my father if the bridge could ever fall down, and he answered confidently that something like that could never happen.
On May 9, 1980, when I was about 11-years-old, that very thing happened after a freighter ran into one of the pylons. This event stuck with me for a while, and I watched with interest as they built a replacement, pictured here, that open in 1987, the year I graduated from high school. Before they began the new bridge they diverted both lanes of traffic to the remaining bridge where you could see a few feet away the nothingness that remained of the fallen span. Creepy.
I had to be sure that I captured some photos as we passed under it, since I had never seen it from this perspective. It was a pretty awesome sight, seeing this massive cruise ship pass under this Goliath from my childhood. Thanks for indulging me, Autumn.
Wow…that’s quite a bit of history, babe. And now you’ve seen both sides of the bridge. Glad I’ve been with you for at least one journey each way. XO
I read Autumn’s comment -
I JUST LOVE HER you LUCKY guy!
Thanks, Sharon. I am pretty damn lucky.
You’re sweet, Sharon!