Post by havetofish on Sept 14, 2008 9:27:14 GMT -5
Skyway Fishing Piers Sliced in Half.
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, Florida Fishing Weekly
The news came like the proverbial bolt out of the blue. On Thursday, August 21st the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced that recreational vehicles, large trucks and trailers had been prohibited from entering the Skyway Fishing Piers, a very popular and productive Tampa Bay fishing location. Then on August 29th, the entire east portions of the north and south piers were closed indefinitely due to what FDOT said were concerns for public safety. In effect, the popular facility was sliced in half – lengthwise.
The piers rose up from the remains of the old original Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The old 15-mile single span connecting St. Petersburg to Bradenton was built in 1954. Lengthy causeways on both sides led to a steep cantilever-truss crossing above the Tampa Bay ship channel. Vertical clearance for the channel was approximately 150 feet above the water and approximately 750 feet in width. Increasing traffic across the two-lane bridge spurred construction of a second parallel span which was completed in 1971, giving the bridges two lanes in each direction.
Then on a stormy May night in 1980, a tragic collision occurred. The huge freighter, “Summit Venture,” crashed into the old bridges, not only taking down huge sections of the structure, but also claiming several lives of motorists caught on the bridges during the collision.
Initially slated to be taken down and possibly used as offshore reefs, parts of the old bridges got a reprieve from the then Governor Lawton Chiles working with local authorities. The remaining structures on each side of the bay were converted into the Skyway Fishing Piers. Eventually, a graceful and well constructed new Sunshine Skyway Bridge rose up beside the old spans to again allow traffic to transverse the great mouth of Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, for these last 28 years, anglers from all over have made their way to the remarkable fishing on the Skyway Fishing Piers. The sheer convenience and relatively inexpensive fees made these piers a fishing haven for anglers from all walks of life.
Over the years pier customers have enjoyed the luxury of driving their vehicles right up to their favorite fishing spot. They’d get out, walk a few steps to the railing and begin fishing for an amazing variety of popular gamefish around and in the intricate structures and depths below. The Skyway Piers have made possible for shore-bound anglers to crank up impressive, hefty offshore species from the safety and comfort of a solid, land-based structure. Those who might become queasy on offshore trips can now crank up big gag grouper, snapper, king mackerels and other offshore fishes from the comfort of the piers - without the need for Dramamine or a boat. Great schools of bait, constantly drawn to the massive structures, have been the giant “fish magnet” for virtually every species found in Florida waters.
Now the Skyway Piers are half their original size. Yet, the piers manager, Jamie Foster, is optimistic that with some reconfiguration, the remaining west spans should continue to make this unique facility available for some years to come.
“The incoming roads are now two lanes, handling both incoming and outgoing traffic. But frankly, it’s going to be tight and we’re looking at running a trolley system and other reconfigurations to make it more comfortable for our anglers.” Foster said that she and her colleagues are now in the process of brainstorming how to best manage this reduced facility. “We still want our people to have plenty of room to fish but we have to determine how we’ll be handling the vehicles which heretofore had been allowed on the fishing piers. We’re going to see how it works out now, but if our anglers become frustrated, we’ll have to modify our plans, possibly getting people in from outside parking lots.”
Foster said that they have some bay front property on the north side that can be used for parking. “There’s a wooded and grassy area over there that we’re converting into RV parking as well as additional parking for the piers. We also plan on putting a shop there, moving the toll booth to the piers further out.” Similar parking configurations will also be created for the longer south pier. The existing rest rooms and bait shops will still be open 24-hours a day. However, there will be a wall, a chain-link fence on the eastern side to prevent people from walking out on the eastern span.
Foster is still trying to convince state authorities to permit pedestrian traffic on the closed eastern span. “I think we should at least be able to allow foot traffic there. It’s certainly not going to be damaged from people walking on it. What might actually do damage would be tidal surge. I think that if people are allowed to walk on the east pier during calm weather and tides, it should be fine,” said Foster.
“We need to at least have emergency access for that span because there will be injured birds that land on there. There will always be reasons for emergencies where someone or something needs rescuing. Right now they’re putting barricades up and advising us that nobody can ever even walk on it again. “
Of course there are possible liability issues and, as Foster conceded, “nobody wants to put their career on the line. But they should speak out if under certain conditions, use of the closed sections is safe Bottom line --it’s an insurance issue.”
What can those of us who enjoy fishing these great piers do to make sure that they don’t go away in seven years? Foster suggests contacting the Florida Department of Transportation’s Pepe Garcia of the District Seven Bridge department at 850-414-5230. “I think it’s appropriate for the state to make public the engineering reports – which they haven’t done to date,” said Foster. “And it really seems peculiar that this just virtually popped up overnight – where suddenly we can’t even walk on the east piers.”
Foster believes that what would actually do damage would be a tidal surge. I’m not an engineer but it seems logical that if people are allowed to walk on the east pier during calm weather and tides, it should be fine.
How will fishing be affected from the remaining western span? Foster said that pier anglers should do just fine, especially on the outgoing tide. “On the incoming tide, they’ll have to do their fishing between the spans. Those who watch the tides will know how to make the appropriate adjustments.”
The silver lining in all this is the fact that the Skyway Piers will still be open and operating over the same productive waters for at least seven more years. Hopefully, before then, economic times will improve and the state of Florida can do something to ensure that folks can continue to “fish offshore from a pier.”
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, Florida Fishing Weekly
The news came like the proverbial bolt out of the blue. On Thursday, August 21st the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced that recreational vehicles, large trucks and trailers had been prohibited from entering the Skyway Fishing Piers, a very popular and productive Tampa Bay fishing location. Then on August 29th, the entire east portions of the north and south piers were closed indefinitely due to what FDOT said were concerns for public safety. In effect, the popular facility was sliced in half – lengthwise.
The piers rose up from the remains of the old original Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The old 15-mile single span connecting St. Petersburg to Bradenton was built in 1954. Lengthy causeways on both sides led to a steep cantilever-truss crossing above the Tampa Bay ship channel. Vertical clearance for the channel was approximately 150 feet above the water and approximately 750 feet in width. Increasing traffic across the two-lane bridge spurred construction of a second parallel span which was completed in 1971, giving the bridges two lanes in each direction.
Then on a stormy May night in 1980, a tragic collision occurred. The huge freighter, “Summit Venture,” crashed into the old bridges, not only taking down huge sections of the structure, but also claiming several lives of motorists caught on the bridges during the collision.
Initially slated to be taken down and possibly used as offshore reefs, parts of the old bridges got a reprieve from the then Governor Lawton Chiles working with local authorities. The remaining structures on each side of the bay were converted into the Skyway Fishing Piers. Eventually, a graceful and well constructed new Sunshine Skyway Bridge rose up beside the old spans to again allow traffic to transverse the great mouth of Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, for these last 28 years, anglers from all over have made their way to the remarkable fishing on the Skyway Fishing Piers. The sheer convenience and relatively inexpensive fees made these piers a fishing haven for anglers from all walks of life.
Over the years pier customers have enjoyed the luxury of driving their vehicles right up to their favorite fishing spot. They’d get out, walk a few steps to the railing and begin fishing for an amazing variety of popular gamefish around and in the intricate structures and depths below. The Skyway Piers have made possible for shore-bound anglers to crank up impressive, hefty offshore species from the safety and comfort of a solid, land-based structure. Those who might become queasy on offshore trips can now crank up big gag grouper, snapper, king mackerels and other offshore fishes from the comfort of the piers - without the need for Dramamine or a boat. Great schools of bait, constantly drawn to the massive structures, have been the giant “fish magnet” for virtually every species found in Florida waters.
Now the Skyway Piers are half their original size. Yet, the piers manager, Jamie Foster, is optimistic that with some reconfiguration, the remaining west spans should continue to make this unique facility available for some years to come.
“The incoming roads are now two lanes, handling both incoming and outgoing traffic. But frankly, it’s going to be tight and we’re looking at running a trolley system and other reconfigurations to make it more comfortable for our anglers.” Foster said that she and her colleagues are now in the process of brainstorming how to best manage this reduced facility. “We still want our people to have plenty of room to fish but we have to determine how we’ll be handling the vehicles which heretofore had been allowed on the fishing piers. We’re going to see how it works out now, but if our anglers become frustrated, we’ll have to modify our plans, possibly getting people in from outside parking lots.”
Foster said that they have some bay front property on the north side that can be used for parking. “There’s a wooded and grassy area over there that we’re converting into RV parking as well as additional parking for the piers. We also plan on putting a shop there, moving the toll booth to the piers further out.” Similar parking configurations will also be created for the longer south pier. The existing rest rooms and bait shops will still be open 24-hours a day. However, there will be a wall, a chain-link fence on the eastern side to prevent people from walking out on the eastern span.
Foster is still trying to convince state authorities to permit pedestrian traffic on the closed eastern span. “I think we should at least be able to allow foot traffic there. It’s certainly not going to be damaged from people walking on it. What might actually do damage would be tidal surge. I think that if people are allowed to walk on the east pier during calm weather and tides, it should be fine,” said Foster.
“We need to at least have emergency access for that span because there will be injured birds that land on there. There will always be reasons for emergencies where someone or something needs rescuing. Right now they’re putting barricades up and advising us that nobody can ever even walk on it again. “
Of course there are possible liability issues and, as Foster conceded, “nobody wants to put their career on the line. But they should speak out if under certain conditions, use of the closed sections is safe Bottom line --it’s an insurance issue.”
What can those of us who enjoy fishing these great piers do to make sure that they don’t go away in seven years? Foster suggests contacting the Florida Department of Transportation’s Pepe Garcia of the District Seven Bridge department at 850-414-5230. “I think it’s appropriate for the state to make public the engineering reports – which they haven’t done to date,” said Foster. “And it really seems peculiar that this just virtually popped up overnight – where suddenly we can’t even walk on the east piers.”
Foster believes that what would actually do damage would be a tidal surge. I’m not an engineer but it seems logical that if people are allowed to walk on the east pier during calm weather and tides, it should be fine.
How will fishing be affected from the remaining western span? Foster said that pier anglers should do just fine, especially on the outgoing tide. “On the incoming tide, they’ll have to do their fishing between the spans. Those who watch the tides will know how to make the appropriate adjustments.”
The silver lining in all this is the fact that the Skyway Piers will still be open and operating over the same productive waters for at least seven more years. Hopefully, before then, economic times will improve and the state of Florida can do something to ensure that folks can continue to “fish offshore from a pier.”
They have the money to create more opportunities for them to take more of OUR money, but not to fix the existing situation!!!