Safety walls high enough, say officials

Barriers on the Howard Frankland Bridge were designed before taller SUVs were popular, but there are no plans to redesign the walls.

By AMY HERDY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 19, 2001

TAMPA -- Hardly a day goes by that a vehicle doesn't bump, scrape or smack into the concrete barriers on the Howard Frankland Bridge that separate drivers from the water below.

But last week, the 32-inch-high barriers weren't enough to keep a Chevy Blazer from plummeting into Tampa Bay after being clipped by a car and tumbling across all four lanes of the Howard Frankland.

The Blazer sailed over the barrier. The driver was killed.

Experts say the bell-shaped barriers were designed in 1977, long before sport utility vehicles became so prevalent on the nation's roadways.

Since 1998, at least three vehicles have cleared the barriers and landed in the Bay, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Harry Earp.

State transportation officials say the barriers do a good job, and they have no plans to raise their height.

"If you angle over, it will bounce you back into traffic or slow you down enough to where you can regain control of the vehicle," said Dwayne Kile, district design engineer for the State Department of Transportation.

Raising the height of the barriers, he said, might cause other problems. "A taller barrier can snag a vehicle," he said, and cause a crash rather than direct the vehicle forward.

It would also cost a lot of money, ruin the view and possibly put more weight on a bridge than it can handle.

"You may have to put an 8-foot wall to keep them all contained," Kile said. "In this part of the country, that's detrimental, because no one wants to look at an 8-foot wall instead of a scenic vista."

The barriers were designed for passenger vehicles traveling up to 68 mph.

For high-riding SUVs, some of which are more prone to overturning on impact, the chance of sailing over the barriers is greater.

"The center of gravity varies with vehicle type," he said. "An SUV is much taller with a narrower wheel base than most cars, so its center of gravity is much higher. The higher the center of gravity, the more likely it's going to be airborne."

The Howard Frankland Bridge was built in 1960 for $6.5-million. A waist-high concrete median replaced its original rollover median after a rash of collisions.

In 1991, a new span was opened and the old span closed for renovation and conversion to one-way west-to-east use. Both bridges assumed their current use in 1993.

The barriers, which are used on roads and bridges across the country, are called New Jersey barriers because they are shaped the like the state.

-- Amy Herdy can be reached at (813) 226-3386 or herdy@sptimes.com

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