Touring in Tampa and Sunshine Skyway

Yesterday we decided to do some touring around Tampa. We went to the St. Petersburg Pier on the Tampa Bay and "dined" on top of the pier building (4th floor). Somehow a jerked chicken sandwich and a mahi mahi sandwich taste better when you eat outside. We browsed the shops and saw numerous people fishing, but were surprised there were so few boats out on such a lovely day.

Our main destination was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses Tampa Bay. I didn't realize that I'd find a bridge to be interesting but when we came back and I started researching, my curiosity was piqued. It is 5.5 miles long and carries four lanes of traffic - 20,000 cars a day.

Construction of the current bridge began in 1982, and was finished in 1987 at a cost of $244 million. It is the world's longest cable-stayed concrete bridge and has a main span of 1200 ft. with a vertical clearance of 193 ft. That might not sound like much, but HUGE ships pass under it!

The tall structures that come up through the center of the bridge are extensions from the pilings in the water underneath. The RV (that little rectangle) way out in front of us gives you an idea of how tall these pillars are.

People remember it, partly due to its bright yellow cables and they illuminate it at night.

The bridge also boasts an interesting history. The old steel cantilever bridge that used to be where the Sunshine Skyway now stands, was plowed into by a freighter in 1980. More than 1,000 feet of the bridge fell into the bay, killing 35 motorists and bus passengers instantly.

We drove about 90 miles round trip and were ready for a good night's sleep!