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Bridges out of Pinellas County likely to close as Irma approaches

 
Howard Frankland Bridge.[Times (2009)]
Howard Frankland Bridge.[Times (2009)]
Published Sept. 9, 2017

For those still on the fence about whether to evacuate Pinellas County in advance of Hurricane Irma, consider this: Each of the bridges out likely will be shut down at some point, blocking the main exits.

Florida Highway Patrol will close the Howard Frankland Bridge, Gandy Bridge and the Sunshine Skyway when wind speeds reach 40 mph, spokesman Steve Gaskins said.

The Courtney Campbell Causeway is not managed by FHP.

"There is no decision on anything related to the Courtney Campbell Causeway at this time," Clearwater Police spokesman Rob Shaw said. "It all depends on when the weather starts to deteriorate."

Unlike the other area bridges, there is no set wind speed that would trigger a closure for the Courtney Campbell, Shaw said. It all depends on conditions. Clearwater Police will monitor the conditions and provide that information to Pinellas County, which will make the ultimate decision on closing the bridge.

If the Howard Frankland and Gandy bridges do close, that leaves the causeway as the only bridge connecting Pinellas County to Tampa. Other options include U.S. 19 north out of Pinellas County.

The FHP has frequently closed the Skyway Bridge when storms with high winds hit Tampa Bay, but closing the Howard Frankland and Gandy bridges is more rare. Usually that decision is made on a "wait and see" basis and is not pegged to a specific wind speed, Gaskins said. However, FHP has decided to take a different approach in the face of Hurricane Irma.

"Typically with those bridges, we're looking for waves crashing and other factors, but now they're adding wind speed to it as well," Gaskins said. "When those wind speeds starting showing up here, that's when we're going to start closing bridges."

People should monitor their typical news alerts as to when those wind levels might happen, Gaskins.

As for the Bayside Bridge, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the plan is for it to remain open.

"It's not high enough for winds to shut it down," Gualtieri said.

Officials will continue to monitor the bridge. It would be an observational decision to close the bridge based on conditions at the time, not a set wind speed.

Pinellas County issued a mandatory evacuation for Zones A and B. Any residents looking to evacuate have been urged to do so as soon as possible. The closings of these major bridges would cut off most major routes for Pinellas residents.

"You need to be making arrangements now if you haven't already done so," Gaskins said. "There will come a point if it gets too dangerous out there that our troopers are going to secure themselves somewhere for their safety. If the bridge is closed, the bridge is closed."

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston@tampabay.com. Follow @cljohnst.