Treasure Island Causeway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Treasure Island Causeway, part of County Road 150, is a series of three bridges (the outer ones fixed, the middle one a bascule drawbridge) crossing Boca Ciega Bay between Treasure Island and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. The bridge is owned and maintained by the City of Treasure Island, which used to charge eastbound motorists $1.00 toll (westbound travelers had no tolls charged), until May, 2006, when the first span of the bridge was reopened. Residents of two St. Petersburg waterfont communities (Causeway Isles and Yacht Club Estates) pay a $10 annual road tax to the City of Treasure Island to help support road and median maintenance. Treasure Island's ownership of the causeway in St. Petersburg was part of a land agreement entered into when these two cities were born: St. Petersburg's founding fathers purchased the Municipal Beach on the shores of the neighboring Gulf of Mexico community, Treasure Island, outside its own city limits to ensure that residents would have direct access to the Gulf of Mexico for generations to come. There is a four ton (8000 pounds) weight limit for vehicles crossing the drawbridge; a City of Treasure Island police car is posted on the causeway to turn back oversized traffic.
The western terminus is an intersection with Gulf Road (SR 699) in Treasure Island.
In 1939, Treasure Island Causeway was first opened to traffic. It quickly became a popular route to the Pinellas County barrier islands for beach getaways. In 2002, an engineering study revealed that all three bridges have become structurally deficient; construction on the West and East bridge started in late 2003 and was completed in October 2004. Three months later, construction of the new drawbridge began.
On January 6, 2006, the drawbridge closed for several months due to a bridge replacement project. One half (leaf) of the drawbridge reopened to vehicular traffic in May, 2006. The construction process is expected to be completed in late 2007. [1]
 |
This article about a specific bridge in the United States is a stub. You can help WikiProject Bridges by expanding it. |
 This article about a building or structure in Florida is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
