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Sunshine Skyway Bridge in FL is among the world’s longest cable-stayed concrete bridges

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a 6.7km-long (4.14 miles) bridge constructed over Tampa Bay, Florida, in USA. Its top is 430 ft (131 m) and is claimed to be the longest cable stayed concrete bridge on this planet. It’s one of many most spectacular bridges on this planet.

What’s the Sunshine Skyway bridge made from?

The four-lane bridge is a part of I-275 (SR 93) and US 19 (SR 55) roads. It hyperlinks St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County. An estimated 52,000 automobiles use the bridge. All the bridge is nearly utterly composed of simply concrete and metal.

Is Sunshine Skyway Bridge a toll street?

The present bridge opened in 1987. It’s fairly an impressive engineering feat. The views from this bridge are spectacular if you do not have a worry of heights. Do not be fooled by its sunny title, the historical past alone makes going over “Sunshine Skyway Bridge” scary. In 1980, the freighter MV Summit Enterprise collided with a assist column throughout a blinding thunderstorm inflicting the bridge to break down. The collision prompted six vehicles, a truck, and a Greyhound bus to fall 150 ft (46 m) into the water, killing 35 individuals. On high of this, 207 individuals have dedicated suicided by leaping off the middle span into the Tampa Bay waters since 1987 when the brand new bridge was reconstructed. Previous to that, one other 51 individuals have jumped to their deaths earlier than the older bridge collapsed. There at the moment are 6 suicide hotlines positioned alongside the bridge as a security precaution and a relentless reminder to its previous. It’s a toll street.

Is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge closed?

In periods of extreme thunderstorms, excessive winds and hurricanes, it’s usually shut down as a result of excessive wind advisories. Keep away from on a really windy or foggy day or storm because it usually is closed at the moment. The grade is steep and you’re feeling like your on an infinite ramp and can drop from a dizzying top after you attain the apex. The parallel strains of slanted vivid yellow cables going by add to the disorienting vertigo. Even a seasoned bridge crosser can really feel off on this bridge.

 

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