The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge — which connects Bradenton and St. Petersburg — was shut down in both directions Wednesday morning after authorities discovered a suspicious package, but traffic reopened across the span by 12:30 p.m., according to St. Petersburg police.
Investigators said a person left the package on the bridge shortly before 11 a.m. and then jumped into the water. The bomb squad was called to examine the item as a precaution.
Southbound traffic was being diverted at 54th Avenue South, while northbound drivers were being redirected at I-75 and I-275, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.
Prior threat: Skyway Bridge closed temporarily due to bomb threat
Skyway collapse: Sarasota connections to 1980 Skyway disaster
The 1980 Skyway Bridge collapse and its legacy
The deadliest chapter in the Skyway’s history occurred on May 9, 1980, when the freighter MV Summit Venture struck a support column during a sudden squall.
About 1,200 feet of the southbound span collapsed and six cars, a truck and a Greyhound bus plunged into Tampa Bay; 35 people died. Wesley MacIntire was the only motorist to survive the collapse.
The catastrophe prompted years of investigation, litigation and later on the construction of the replacement Skyway, which opened in 1987.
Of the 35 people who died in the 1980 bridge collapse, 23 were on the Greyhound bus that plunged into Tampa Bay.
Among them was Mel Russell, a longtime resident of the Sarasota area. Other victims and a few survivors had ties to Sarasota, either as residents, commuters or through family.
When was the last Skyway Bridge bomb threat?
Concerns about threats to the span are not new. Authorities closed the bridge after a bomb threat in March 1998 that forced multi-hour reroutes and heavy law-enforcement scrutiny; authorities described several similar threats during that period.
Another bomb scare in early July 2002 briefly shut the Skyway after a caller reported suspicious activity and a package, prompting the Tampa Bay bomb squad to respond and traffic to be diverted.
How does Skyway’s past shapes today’s safety measures?
The Skyway has also long been a site of suicides and prevention efforts. After decades of incidents, officials installed six crisis hotline phones in 1999 and stepped up 24-hour patrols and surveillance; the toll rose as high as 18 confirmed suicides in 2018, spurring renewed prevention planning.
In response, the Florida Department of Transportation began installing a perimeter net and fencing—a project completed in phases in 2021—which local authorities say has dramatically reduced suicides and attempts since installation.
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo covers breaking news and public safety for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Reach out at mperezcarrillo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Tampa Bay’s Skyway Bridge reopens after bomb scare, recalling threats