The
Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the world's
longest cable-stayed concrete bridge,
with a length of 29,040 feet (exactly
5.5 miles or approximately 8.85 km).
It is part of I-275 (SR 93) and US
19 (SR 55), connecting St. Petersburg
in Pinellas County, Florida and Palmetto
in Manatee County, Florida, passing
through Hillsborough County waters.
Construction of the current bridge
It is constructed of steel and concrete.
Its longest span is 1200 feet (366
m), which is 193 feet (58.8 m) over
the water. Twenty-one steel cables
clad in nine-inch steel tubes along
the center line of the bridge support
the structure. It was designed by
the Figg & Muller Engineering
Group, and built by the American Bridge
Company.began in 1982 and was completed
on February 7, 1987, at a cost of
$245 million.
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