MACDONALD-KELCE LIBRARY
GANDY BRIDGE IS 100!!!
George S. Gandy Sr. first conceived of a two-lane, two-way bridge connecting Tampa with greater St. Petersburg in 1910. Soon after, he began planning and seeking financing, however America’s entry into World War I in 1917 postponed any continuing forward momentum.
After the war, Gandy once again took up the idea of the bridge and began promoting investment opportunities and selling stock to finance its construction.
By 1922, enough stock had been sold to finance the bridge at a cost of $1.9 million. Construction began in September 1922 and the bridge opened formally on November 20, 1924. The cost to cross the bridge was $.75 for an automobile and driver and $.10 for any additional passengers.
What previously had been a 43-mile drive from Tampa to St. Petersburg, was cut in half when the bridge opened.
Leafing through the opening ceremony’s official program, the reader immediately realizes that the bridge was a boon to companies promoting not only property sales and new home construction, but also travel, leisure, relocation and mobility.
In 1956, a new span was built alongside the original bridge relegating the 1924 span to eastbound traffic only. When in 1975 a new bridge opened for eastbound traffic, the original Gandy Bridge was dismantled.
What began as a two-lane two-way bridge now handles on average thirty-four thousand drivers (east and westbound) daily and had helped transform the Tampa-St.Pete area into a still-growing metroplex. Learn more about Gandy, his bridge and Tampa history at the Macdonald-Kelce Library's Special Collections and Archives.
Macdonald-Kelce Library - The University of Tampa - 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. - Tampa, FL 33606 - 813 257-3056 - library@ut.edu - Accessibility
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