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The Bridge To Nowhere

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By RICH SHOPES

rshopes@tampatrib.com

Published: February 19, 2009

TAMPA - Thousands of boaters might have to settle for fewer fishing spots after Hillsborough County Public Works officials issue a warning against boaters going under the dilapidated Friendship TrailBridge.

The nearly three-mile span that runs alongside the Gandy Bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties was declared off-limits to bikers and joggers in November after engineers deemed it unsafe and said it could collapse after years of saltwater intrusion.

Now comes word that boaters might be in danger from falling chunks of concrete.

The county is having signs printed to warn against traveling under the 56-year-old bridge, which separates the lower and upper portions of Tampa Bay. Hundreds of boaters cross under the span daily. The signs, which will go up in two weeks, will be affixed to the bridge's concrete pillars.

"Everybody who wants to go under that bridge will know there's a risk factor," public works spokesman Steve Valdez said Wednesday. "Obviously we can't stop everybody, but they will know there is a risk."

Maritime laws guaranteeing access to the Gulf of Mexico prevent the county from blocking access altogether. That leaves officials trying to persuade boaters to stop going under the bridge until it's repaired or demolished.

"It's sure going to inconvenience a lot of people," said John Hare of Tampa, 71, who was maneuvering his 20-foot Ranger toward the ramp on the Gandy Bridge's north side. "I'll abide by it."

He figures many others won't observe the warning, at least after considering the alternative. "There aren't any other ways around. They'll circle around a while and think about it, and then they'll go under."

The warnings couldn't come at a worse time for Jim Finnegan, general manager of the new Hula Bay Club on Tyson Avenue in South Tampa. The club is scheduled to open at 3 p.m. Friday after two months of renovations. It can accommodate about a dozen boats.

"Any time there's a risk of somebody getting hurt, we are concerned, but people are going to do what they want to do," he said. "Some people will take that risk."

NO QUICK FIX

Officials are examining options for the bridge. It could be years, however, before Pinellas and Hillsborough counties act, because of the cost.

•Razing the span would cost about $11 million.

•Fixing the entire bridge could run as much as $35 million and would add only 10 years to the bridge's lifespan.

•Demolishing and building a new bridge could run as high as $82 million.

•Razing some of the bridge and leaving the ends exposed would run about $5 million.

•The county is studying a partial demolition. It's checking to determine how much of the bridge, if any, can be saved. Saving some of the bridge would allow some access to joggers and bikers. Pinellas would decide what do at its end. A report on the damage is due in late March.

•If left alone, the bridge eventually will collapse because the metal connections between the beams and columns have weakened.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633.

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