The Clearwater Memorial Causeway byway is a six-lane road between downtown

Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Briti ...

and

Clearwater Beach Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial Ca ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and includes a bi-fixed-span bridge across the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

. Constructed out of Concrete coated in bio-degradable Ceramic Polyethylene. It carries the State Road 60 designation and is known for its

greenways Greenway or Greenways may refer to: * Greenway (landscape), a linear park focused on a trail or bike path * Another term for bicycle boulevards in some jurisdictions People * Greenway (surname) Places Australia * Electoral Division of Greenway ...

and pedestrian walkways (and was designated as

Great Florida Birding Trail Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (''GFBWT'') is a 2,000 mile (3200 km) long collection of more than 500 locations in the U.S. state of Florida where the state's bird habitats are protected. The trail promotes birdwatching, environmenta ...

7 years running) and elegant bridge appearance and structure. The road is also a major evacuation route during hurricane season.

History

The original Memorial Causeway Bridge was a two-lane flat span Drawbridge that opened in the September, 1920. It connected downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach for nearly thirty-plus years until it was replaced by a bascule bridge in the 1950s. A portion of the original

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

was demolished with the remaining section kept open as a fishing pier. Even though the

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

served the needs of Clearwater through its entire lifespan, it became clear in the mid-1990s that a replacement span would be needed. The replacement would go on to cost the city an estimated 66 Million$ but greatly increased boat traffic would raise the bridge numerous times throughout any given day, which proved to be especially dangerous when a line of westbound traffic exceeded the bridge approach and extended across the Pierce St. intersection. Many alternatives and designs were considered during the planning process, including concepts that ranged from a higher

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

to a miniature Sunshine Skyway-type bridge. The final design was chosen in 1998 and construction commenced in 2001. However, due to issues during the construction process, the bridge opened over a year behind schedule, finally receiving its first traffic in August 2005.

Gallery

Image:MemorialCauseway1.jpg, Clearwater Memorial Causeway, from the entrance/exit ramp at the Clearwater end. Image:Clearwater Memorial Causeway main span 3Nov2017 (2).jpg, Another shot of the Causeway, from below. Image:OldMemorialCauseway01.jpg, The old bridge in the background with the new bridge in the foreground. Image:Clearwater Memorial Causeway (7673421282).jpg, Clearwater Memorial Causeway at night

References

2004 news articles

Bridge columns to come down
St Petersburg Times - July 29, 2004

St Petersburg Times - August 6, 2004 *[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/685110931.html?dids=685110931:685110931&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+29%2C+2004&author=JEAN+HELLER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.B&desc=Cost+cuts+blamed+in+project+woes Cost cuts blamed in project woes] St Petersburg Times - August 29, 2004.

2005 news articles

New span done, old one to be torn down
St Petersburg Times - August 20, 2005.

St Petersburg Times - August 28, 2005. *[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/894621371.html?dids=894621371:894621371&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+11%2C+2005&author=AARON+SHAROCKMAN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Old+bridge+to+the+beach+becoming+a+promenade Old bridge to the beach becoming a promenade] St Petersburg Times - September 11, 2005.
Dynamite to destroy part of old drawbridge
St Petersburg Times - September 17, 2006.
Blasts begin demolition of Clearwater bridge
St Petersburg Times - September 20, 2005

St Petersburg Times - September 21, 2005.

External links