ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — More than 35,000 people drive across the Gandy Bridge connecting Pinellas County to Hillsborough County every day.
This is the third iteration of the bridge and plans for a 4th one are under consideration. The Florida Department of Transportation is looking to widen part of the westbound lanes with additions of a bike and pedestrian trail, sidewalks and facilities.
The goal is to ease congestion and protect drivers from deadly crashes.
In recent years, the Gandy Bridge has become a hot spot for street racers at night. It’s part of the reason why you may see officers on either side of that bridge often.
The project would run from 4th Street in Pinellas County to Westshore Boulevard in Hillsborough County.
Much like work underway to the Howard Frankland Bridge, once the widening is complete, transportation leaders are looking at repurposing westbound lanes for eastbound travel and building a brand new westbound Gandy Bridge — connecting Tampa to Pinellas — on the northside of the existing bridge.
For now, this is still in the planning phase. Work wouldn’t begin until 2025.
The Gandy Bridge has a long history in Tampa Bay. It was originally built in 1922 and opened two years later. The Gandy Bridge was the dream child of a George Sheppard “dad” Gandy, also known as “Papa Gandy.”
He was a business executive and developer at the time. It was hailed as an engineering wonder as it was the nation’s largest overwater span.
During World War II, it was bought by the U.S. government because of its proximity to MacDill Air Force Base.