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Lights on Friendship Trail over Tampa Bay need repair

By Elisabeth Dyer, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, May 11, 2008

Strollers, joggers and skaters on the Friendship Trail over Tampa Bay in 2003 stand out against the sky looking west toward Pinellas at sunset. Twenty-nine new light poles could cost $8,000 to $10,000 each.
	[CHRIS ZUPPA | Times (2003)]

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TAMPA — The lights were a splurge in 1999 when the old Gandy Bridge was rescued by residents who united to turn it into a recreational trail, just before it was to be knocked down.

The nostalgic design added an undeniable class to the Friendship Trail.

But nine years of saltwater spray is eating away at the 29 poles leading across Old Tampa Bay between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

"They are requiring constant maintenance," said Leah Hoffman, parks and recreation operations manager for Pinellas.

From water seeping into the electrical connections and causing them to fail, to the iron and steel poles rusting away, all have corrosion, Hoffman said.

Recently, Pinellas County staff took one pole down after the base rusted away.

Workers are fashioning a plate to repair damage until funds are available to replace the light poles. "The wind, salt and rain, it's a very harsh environment," Hoffman said.

Hoffman said they will consider aluminum poles next. She estimates replacement costs at $8,000 to $10,000 per pole.

Because the trail is jointly owned by the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg, replacement costs will be shared, although Pinellas oversees maintenance.

The 2.6-mile bridge averages 534,000 users a year. State money set aside to demolish the old bridge instead went into fixing it up.

The lights cost $5,000 each and another $3,000 each to install the electric.

"That was $232,000 in 1999 prices," Hoffman said.

Other capital improvements to the bridge, including pilings under the bridge, are set to start by September.