Federal transportation officials have identified the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as one of 68 over-water bridges nationwide that require immediate vulnerability assessments, according to a report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The recommendation comes in the wake of the March 26, 2024 incident where the container ship Dali struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor, resulting in the deaths of six construction workers.
The NTSB noted that the Sunshine Skyway, which opened to traffic in 1987, was built before the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials developed its “acceptable risk levels” guidelines in 1991.
Other prominent structures on the list include the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, the Talmadge Bridge in Savannah, and several New York bridges including the Verrazano Narrows, Brooklyn, and George Washington bridges, as well as Jacksonville’s Napoleon Bonaparte Bridge.
The federal agency emphasized in its report that it “does not suggest that the 68 bridges are certain to collapse. The NTSB is recommending that these … bridge owners evaluate whether the bridges are above the AASHTO acceptable level of risk.”
The report, described as an “investigative update” since the Key Bridge collapse investigation continues, revealed that the Maryland structure “was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges” according to AASHTO guidelines. Early findings indicate the Dali experienced serious power-system issues prior to impact.
The Sunshine Skyway’s current design emerged following a tragic May 9, 1980 disaster when the freighter Summit Venture veered off course during a sudden storm and struck the previous twin-span bridge. The collision caused the western span to collapse, sending vehicles including a Greyhound bus plunging 150 feet into Tampa Bay, killing 35 people.
The replacement bridge, completed at a cost of $244 million, features large concrete-and-stone “dolphins” strategically positioned as bumpers to deflect wayward vessels. The AASHTO guidelines were developed partly in response to the 1980 Skyway disaster.