Sunshine Skyway Bridge Materials: Steel & Segmental Concrete

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge (Florida, I-275 across Tampa Bay, opened 1987) is a cable-stayed bridge built with:

• 2.7 million lbs (1,225 metric tons) of reinforcing steel (rebar).
• 66 million lbs (29,900 metric tons) of post-tensioning steel tendons for cables and hangers.
• Precast segmental concrete box-girder sections: Up to 382 ft (116 m) long, weighing up to 872 tons (791 metric tons) each. Match-cast, erected by overhead gantry crane.

Design Highlights

• Main span: 1,200 ft (366 m)—longest cable-stayed concrete span at completion.
• Two pylons, 21 cables per side (semi-fan arrangement).
• Designed for hurricane winds, ship impact (dolphins), 75-year service life.
• Replaced 1954 trestle bridge destroyed by Summit Venture freighter collision (1980, 35 deaths).

Iconic "yellow cables" (originally) now white with LED lighting—Tampa Bay landmark.