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'Dad' Charted A New Course
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Published: February 25, 2008
Named for George S. "Dad" Gandy, the Philadelphia contractor who constructed the original span, the Gandy drawbridge opened in November 1924 and took two years and $3 million to build.
At the time, the 2.6-mile span, the first across Tampa Bay, was the world's longest automobile toll bridge and it narrowed the gap between Tampa and St. Petersburg to 19 miles from 43 miles. The two-lane bridge charged 75 cents for a car and 10 cents for a horse.
The Gandy remained a toll bridge until 1944 when the federal government, citing emergency wartime measures, took it over.
The drawbridge was replaced with a fixed span in 1956. A new fixed-span bridge for westbound lanes opened in December 1996.
Rich Shopes
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