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 bridge cost $244 million to build, and was opened to
traffic on April 20, 1987. It is constructed of steel and concrete. Steel
cables clad in 229 mm steel tubes (forty-two per pylon) along the center line
of the bridge support the main span.
It was designed by the Figg & Muller
Engineering Group, and built by the American Bridge Company.
