PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla — The Sunshine Skyway Bridge looms large over Tampa Bay as the connector between Pinellas and Manatee counties as its impressive arches reach up to the sky over one of the busiest ports.
The impressive height of the bridge isn't just a pretty design choice — it was done with purpose after the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed in 1980, tragically killing 35 people.
But the safety measures put in place with the new bridge might not have happened without one man — former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham.
Graham had only been the Sunshine State's governor less than a year and a half when the bridge was hit by a cargo ship, causing it to collapse.
In the aftermath, the Tampa Bay Times reports some Florida legislators and transportation officials wanted the bridge to either be repaired or rebuilt basically as it was before, prioritizing cost efficiency.
However, that wasn't enough for Graham, the Times said. He pushed for a completely new bridge, one that he would later call "a landmark in the nation, spanning the entrance to Tampa Bay," the Times wrote.
It took until 1987 for the new bridge to open, but it is now regarded as one of the most protected bridges in the country. Today's Skyway has a long list of firsts that other bridges use now as safeguards.
Engineers built the new bridge in a "better" location, raised its height to make it easier for ships to pass under and added almost three dozen bumpers called "dolphin" structures to protect the bridge from any future ship's impact.
RELATED: How the Skyway Bridge became one of the most protected in the world after the 1980 collapse
The old bridge was demolished, but construction crews kept both ends. Those ends are now the fishing piers seen today.
In 2005, Florida renamed the bridge as the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge to honor the man credited with pushing for its creation.
To this day, the Skyway is regarded as one of the best bridge reconstructions.
Graham passed away on April 16, 2024, at the age of 87. Read more about his life and legacy by clicking here.