Finally, detour comes to end
It took more than five years to replace the old Treasure Island drawbridge built in 1939.
By NICK JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 26, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - The Treasure Island Causeway was closed to traffic one last time Saturday morning for the grand opening of the C.W. Bill Young Bascule Bridge.
The opening was the culmination of more than five years of work replacing the old Treasure Island drawbridge and the two smaller spans that approach it from either end.
Police closed the roadway to traffic at 9 a.m. for the ceremonies and reopened it about noon.
The bridge was named in honor of Young, the Republican representative who helped secure the $50-million federal grant that funded the project when he was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Young joined a number of local leaders who took the stage next to a likeness of Treasure Island's pirate mascot and delivered a series of brief and mostly lighthearted speeches.
He joked about the old bridge having to open even if a canoe needed to pass under it, and then deflected the thanks for funding the bridge back to Florida residents. "It was your money that you sent to Washington, and I just helped bring some of it back to you," Young said.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker also spoke along with Treasure Island public works director Don Hambidge and members of the engineering and construction companies involved.
"We did the things that we said we were going to do and we did them on time," Hambidge said, as he fought back tears at the culmination of the project he had managed for the past five years.
After the speeches, Young cut the ribbon and joined with Treasure Island Mayor Mary Maloof to raise of the drawbridge to allow for a boat parade.
"Best of all, I think it's a work of art and it really makes a grand statement," Maloof said of the bridge, which serves as both the main evacuation route for the beach community in case of a hurricane and an economic lifeline that allows tourists convenient beach access.
The original drawbridge had been built in 1939 and was in such poor condition before being replaced that it wasn't safe to drive anything much heavier than a pickup truck across it.
It had a sufficiency rating of about 2 out of 100 when it was finally removed.
The new bascule bridge, the French term for drawbridge, is in a league of its own.
It's about 16 feet taller at the girders, meaning it will have to be opened less often, and is operated by computer systems similar to those used by NASA.
"It's probably the most high-tech movable bridge in the U.S. at this point, as far as the control system and the machinery that moves the bridge," said Jim Phillips, vice president of E.C. Driver, which engineered the bridge.
The only point of contention is the lack of tolls.
While no toll means easier access for residents and visitors alike, and therefore the possibility of increased income due to tourism, it also means less money going directly to the city.
"Economically it's a strain because we have no tolls. They brought in just under $2-million a year," Maloof said.
That money was used for bridge upkeep and staffing, and also helped pay for other city employees whose work involved the bridge, like the city manager. Now that burden will fall upon the city.
Treasure Island resident Aviva Kirschbaum, 49, has lived just six houses down from the bridge for the last 22 years.
She was more than happy to show her support to organizers after weathering the last three years of construction.
"I am so excited. I've seen every brick in front of my house, I've endured closings and stacks of metal in front of my house," but Kirschbaum said it had been worth every minute. "It's beautiful, it's making us very proud."
Nick Johnson can be reached at nickjohnson@sptimes.com or 727 893-8361.
Fast Facts:
Bridge costs
Old bridge's cost: just over $1-million in 1939.
New bridge's cost: $50 million.
Old bridge: 5 feet of average clearance above mean high water level.
New bridge: 21 feet of average clearance.
Old bridge: 10-ton load limit.
New bridge: no load limit.
Old channel: 70 feet wide.
New channel: 100 feet wide.
Old bridge: opened about 33 times a day.
New bridge: will open about 10 times per day.