should we ’save the gandy’ again?

Friendship TrailBridge was opened in 1999 after efforts by a group of regular citizens called “Save the Gandy” were successful.  Ten years later, the structure has been deemed unsafe, closed to the public, and is at another crossroads.

Here are the options:

1. A full repair of the entire bridge, in order to reopen it to recreational use, would cost $15 million, but would only extend the life of the bridge an additional ten years before it would need to be demolished.
2. repairing just the spans from the entrances to the ends of the catwalks would cost $10 million, which would include demolishing the high span.  But the repaired sections would still only be structurally sound for 10 years, and require eventual demolition.
3. demolishing the entire bridge and building two new fishing piers now at either end of the bridge in its current location would cost $17.5 million.  These piers might eventually need to be relocated when a new Gandy Bridge is built…
4. demolishing the entire bridge and building new fishing piers off the new Gandy Bridge after it is constructed would cost $13 million to demolish the bridge now and an additional estimated $6.5 million to build the new piers in the future.

The cheapest way (option 2) is to kill the middle of the bridge, and turn the ends into fishing piers.  But more than just fishermen use(d) the bridge, which was seeing up to 600,000 visitors a year.

I like the idea of saving the bridge.  It’s one of the most tangible examples of Hillsborough & Pinellas Counties working together as neighbors.  It even has that feel-good name.

We may be able to get some federal and/or state money to help in the effort to save it (again).  But $15 million is still $15 million.  And ten years is not a long time, making this an expensive band-aid.

Like the oversight committee, I lean toward trying to hold on to the unique park, but I sure would like to hear other ideas.