Mon May 11, 2020, 10:48 AM

HAB911 (8,217 posts)

The Skyway bridge across Tampa Bay collapsed 40 years ago last Sunday

Spurred me to dig up a couple of photos. The first is from when I frequently crossed it, but would never do so with a ship in the channel or during very bad weather. I was waiting for this squall to pass before crossing. Pre-1980.

The second, of the new bridge, was taken last summer, a panorama of which was entered in the summer contest (3rd place)

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7 replies	Author	Time	Post
The Skyway bridge across Tampa Bay collapsed 40 years ago last Sunday (Original post)	HAB911	May 2020	OP
I remember crossing the Tampa Bay bridge not long before it collapsed	katmondoo	May 2020	#1
Yes, I always called it fragile	HAB911	May 2020	#5
traffic backed-up at the bridge	RicROC	May 2020	#2
Once in the nineties, i was crossing the bridge on a business errand when...	soryang	May 2020	#3
Wow, I would have loved to have seen that!	HAB911	May 2020	#4
One of the things I love about the beaches of the South	dixiegrrrrl	May 2020	#6
thank you!	HAB911	May 2020	#7

Response to HAB911 (Original post)

Mon May 11, 2020, 11:29 AM

katmondoo (6,398 posts)

1. I remember crossing the Tampa Bay bridge not long before it collapsed

I was so scared driving over the bridge I said to myself never ever drive over this bridge again. I never had to as it crashed. I felt I had some kind of premonition while crossing over it.

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Response to katmondoo (Reply #1)

Mon May 11, 2020, 11:55 AM

HAB911 (8,217 posts)

5. Yes, I always called it fragile

Actually two bridges of 2 lanes each with see through steel grating at the top that was not only loud from tire noise but made the vehicle sort of wobble from side to side. I had a van at the time and a strong wind could push it from one lane into the next.

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Response to HAB911 (Original post)

Mon May 11, 2020, 11:39 AM

RicROC (1,137 posts)

2. traffic backed-up at the bridge

Many years ago my snowbird parents drove to Florida on their way to Bradenton FL on the south side of this bridge. When they approached this Skyway bridge from the north, traffic was backed up such that they just sat in their car for over ½ hour.

Finally, traffic began to move again, such that after they were on the bridge, they realized the stopped traffic was due to ceremonies to re-open the rebuilt bridge. My folks were one of the first to drive onto the 'new' Skyway bridge.

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Response to HAB911 (Original post)

Mon May 11, 2020, 11:48 AM

soryang (3,263 posts)

3. Once in the nineties, i was crossing the bridge on a business errand when...

a B-1 bomber flat hatting toward the bay from the west did a flare turn in front in the central span right next to me as I passed. I thought he was going to hit the bridge.

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Response to soryang (Reply #3)

Mon May 11, 2020, 11:52 AM

HAB911 (8,217 posts)

4. Wow, I would have loved to have seen that!

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Response to HAB911 (Original post)

Sat May 23, 2020, 12:27 AM

dixiegrrrrl (60,003 posts)

6. One of the things I love about the beaches of the South

and esp. Fla. are the magnificent cloud scapes that seem to dwarf everything below.

I esp. like the way they frame the bridge in the 2nd pic.

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Response to dixiegrrrrl (Reply #6)

Sat May 23, 2020, 09:07 AM

HAB911 (8,217 posts)

7. thank you!

the thing about photography is you have to be there and have a camera to capture. Back in my working days, as in the top picture, I always carried my camera with me, always.

For the 2nd, we were at Ft. Desoto, so this is looking east to the bridge. In awe of the secene, I failed to appreciate what I was looking at, and we continued our day there and drove up the coast, stopped and ate lunch, continued our drive towards Clearwater and it finally hit me as the sky darkened. That was a violent summer storm approaching, so we turned east and headed back to Tampa. Of course it was too late, and we were on the Howard Franklin bridge when it hit us. We drove across the bay at 10 mph, but everyone was civil and I never had to touch my brakes the entire way.

We were there on THE day, any other day of the year would have ho-hum.

you have to be there and have a camera

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Photography (Group)