PIER PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR THE SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT

One of the worst bridge accidents in the U.S. history was the destruction of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay, Florida in May 1980. A 1,300 foot section of the bridge collapsed and 35 lives were lost in vehicles that fell into the bay. The replacement structure presently under construction consists of a segmental concrete, single plane, cable stayed main span unit. The paper discusses the assessment and subsequent design of pier protection to protect the replacement structure from ship and barge collisions that were performed.