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The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, commonly known as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet (4.1 miles or approximately 6.67 km).〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = Nationalbridges )〕 It is part of I-275 (SR 93) and US 19 (SR 55), connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough County waters. Construction of the current bridge began in 1982, and the completed bridge was dedicated on February 7, 1987. The new bridge cost $244 million to build, and was opened to traffic on April 20, 1987. It replaced an older bridge constructed in 1954, which was partly destroyed in a collision in 1980. It is constructed of steel and concrete. Steel cables clad in 84 9-inch (229 mm) steel tubes (42 per pylon) along the center line of the bridge support the main span. It was designed by the Figg & Muller Engineering Group (who also designed the popular Seven Mile Bridge), and built by the American Bridge Company. In 2005, an act of the Florida Legislature officially named the current bridge the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, after the Governor of Florida and then U.S. Senator who presided over its design and most of its construction. According to sources, he was inspired to suggest the current design by a visit to France, where he saw a similar cable-stayed bridge, the Brotonne Bridge. The original bridge was dedicated to state engineer William E. Dean, as noted on a plaque displayed at the rest area at the south end of the bridge. The Travel Channel rated the Sunshine Skyway No. 3 in its special on the "Top 10 Bridges" in the World. The bridge is considered the "flag bridge" of Florida. Because of its height above the emerald-green Gulf waters, length of continuous travel, location in a warm-weather state, and modern architectural design, it is a popular spot for filming automobile commercials. A major problem with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is corrosion of the steel in the precast concrete segmental columns on the high level approaches. Because the segments are hollow, workers were able to enter the bridge superstructure in 2003 and 2004 to reinforce the corroded sections of the bridge, ensuring its future safety.〔 Another problem arose around 2005–2006 when several news bureaus reported paint discolorations on the bridge's cables. These paint splotches and patches were a result of touch-ups that were performed over the years but began to show through over recent years. In 2008, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) began an overhaul including repainting the cables in their entirety (instead of touching up) and rehabilitating the lighting system at the summit of the bridge.〔(St. Petersburg ''Times'' )〕 A 2014 FDOT study noted that the Skyway's low bridge clearance prevented larger vessels from using the Port Tampa Bay terminals, but made no recommendation about options as the air draft of most new cruise ships exceeds the bridge's height limit at 180 feet.〔Kennedy, Sara "Study offers options for cruise ships too tall for the Sunshine Skyway Bridge" (July 8, 2014) Bradenton.com〕 == The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge == The present bridge replaced a steel cantilever bridge of the same name. The original two-lane bridge built by the Virginia Bridge Company was opened to traffic on September 6, 1954,〔("Tampa Bay Crossing Spans 14 Miles of Tidewater." ) ''Popular Mechanics'', August 1954, pp. 72-73〕〔http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S5kcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1GQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4161%2C1128738〕 with a similar structure built parallel and to the west of it in 1969 to make it a four-lane bridge and bring it to Interstate standards. Opening of the newer span was delayed until 1971 for reinforcing of the south main pier, which had cracked due to insufficient supporting pile depth.〔http://interstate275florida.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-sunshine-skyway-bridge.html〕 The second span was used for all southbound traffic, while the original span was converted to carry northbound traffic. The old bridge replaced a ferry from Point Pinellas to Piney Point. US 19 was extended from St. Petersburg to its current end north. The remaining approaches to the old cantilever bridge remain in use as Skyway Fishing Pier State Park. The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge was the site of a number of tragic events, including the collision of the US Coast Guard Cutter and inbound freighter ''Capricorn'' in 1980 which claimed 23 Coast Guardsmen's lives,〔(U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History )〕 and a structural collapse caused by a collision with the bridge support by the inbound freighter ''Summit Venture'' in 1980 which killed 35 people and ultimately ended the bridge spans' useful life. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sunshine Skyway Bridge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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