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Problems on 2 bridges snarl traffic to beachesBy MIKE BRASSFIELD© St. Petersburg Times published January 20, 2002 ST. PETE BEACH -- The mother of all traffic jams came to this beach town Saturday afternoon because of problems at two of the three bridges that lead on and off the island. The chain of events caused gridlock on Gulf Boulevard for hours. First, the drawbridge on the Corey Causeway malfunctioned. The eastbound span got stuck in the "up" position. That forced police to divert all four lanes of eastbound and westbound traffic onto the remaining lanes on the westbound span. "It was a busy beach day anyhow, with the weather being nice," said St. Pete Beach Fire Lt. Jay Tiehaara. "Boat traffic was pretty heavy. The bridge was being used a lot, and it failed during one of those times." Next, about 2 p.m., a traffic accident on the Pinellas Bayway caused injuries and blocked traffic. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles responded, and traffic was slowed for some time. Workers with the state Department of Transportation got the Corey Causeway drawbridge to close Saturday evening, but the bridge will remain closed to boat traffic for the next five days, according to St. Pete Beach police. The result Saturday was that traffic all over St. Pete Beach was severely congested. With few ways to get on and off the island, the traffic jam spread north to Treasure Island and beyond. Traffic on the Treasure Island Causeway was slow, causing traffic backups east of the bridge in St. Petersburg.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
