Have You Seen The Progress On The Pensacola Bay Bridge?

February 18, 2018

If you haven’t been to Pensacola Beach or Gulf Breeze since last year, you’ve missed seeing the progress on the new Pensacola Bay Bridge.

The Pensacola Bay Bridge construction team reached a milestone this week by pouring the first two concrete spans (bottom picture). The bridge spans are cast-in-place atop the beams that connect the trophy pieces. The first spans poured are located on what will become the Gulf Breeze approach for the eventual eastbound (Pensacola to Gulf Breeze) bridge. In total, the bridge design calls for 210 spans, 105 each for the east and westbound bridges.

For more photos, click here.

Crews are working to drive concrete piles, place trophy pieces, and install beams for the new Pensacola Bay Bridge.

A casting yard on Bayou Chico (picture left, click to enlarge) remains a busy place forming trophy pieces.The trophy pieces consist of a footing, column, and cap. They sit atop the piles and support the concrete beams. There will be 416 trophy pieces fabricated at the casting yard for the project.
Plans are for the first span of the new bridge to open in January 2019. Initially, the first new bridge (the eventual eastbound bridge) will accommodate two lanes of eastbound and two lanes of westbound traffic, along with an auxiliary lane in the center and a multi-use path.

Completion of the second bridge (the westbound structure) is currently scheduled for summer 2020.

Combined, the two bridges will feature three eastbound and three westbound travel lanes, flanked by 10-foot shoulders. Both bridges will also include 10-foot multi-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The $398.5 million Pensacola Bay Bridge replacement project represents a tremendous boost for the regional economy. Approximately 280 workers are employed daily at the Bayou Chico concrete casting yard, while an additional 80 employees are working at the bridge construction site.

There are 1,020 Florida I-Beams needed for the new bridge. The beams are 150-feet long, 72-inches tall, and weigh approximately 166,000-pounds. They’re used to connect trophy pieces one-to-another. The bridge deck, which includes the riding surface, will be constructed atop the beams.
Estimates from the University of West Florida’s Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development indicate the construction project is creating or sustaining approximately 4,800 jobs in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, along with the rest of the state.

Economists further report the project is increasing the gross domestic product (GDP) of Escambia and Santa Rosa County by $500 million, with an additional $60 million boost in GDP generated in the remainder of the state.

For more photos, click here.

NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “Have You Seen The Progress On The Pensacola Bay Bridge?”

  1. David Huie Green on February 19th, 2018 10:32 am

    REGARDING:
    “create one million high paying private sector jobs compared to adding more government jobs which produce nothing.”

    Peace be unto you. You will be happy to know Department of Defense spending goes to civilian jobs, either directly or by expenditures by those in the military to the people they buy from. Also, it DOES produce something useful, a more peaceful world in which to live.(That ain’t nothin.) Sure, it’s mostly a waste, but think of it as a jobs program.

    AND
    Oddball “Always with the negative vibes man….”

    I enjoyed your movie, KELLY’S HEROES

    David for gainful employment and good movies

  2. mike on February 18th, 2018 8:36 pm

    yes, i knew it was not a county funded project. but i stand by my statement on the county. you think city landowners pay more than us out here, i don’t believe that. it is based on the value of your property.
    moving on, so millions of tax money must be shelled out so you won’t be inconvenienced by an accident, oh my, my, my, what a privileged, pampered life you must lead. you must be one of those that live on the beach and get the government to pay to rebuild every time a hurricane wrecks your house that was built on sand right next to a body of water.

    Sorry if i seemed gloomy, it is no big deal really, it is just the way things are and always will be. :)

  3. John Soule on February 18th, 2018 7:49 pm

    What most of y’all don’t seem to understand is that ,first : This is not an Escambia County project, nor an FDOT. It is a federal project. It appears that for a relatively short period of time, the lanes, being that both directions are on one slightly narrower bridge , will be slightly tighter. This is a time for everyone to use an elevated level of caution if you are capable of doing so.
    Any inconvenience in the near future will soon be forgotten, or at least forgiven by anyone who can find common sense amongst their faculties…

  4. Bryan Bethea on February 18th, 2018 7:22 pm

    Sorry Mike, but here are a few facts:

    - The Pensacola Bay Bridge is part of a state highway (US Highway 98, State Road 30), thus the State of Florida is paying to replace it, not Escambia County.
    - The current bridge has reached the end of its useful lifespan. So no, the existing bridge doesn’t work just fine. Have you ever gotten stuck behind an accident on the bridge?
    - Northern Escambia County gets less attention than the more populated parts of the county because it is sparsely populated. You can’t realistically expect to receive city level services in rural areas unless you’re willing the pay the taxes to pay for them.

    No, all is not happiness and light but there are positive things happening in Northwest Florida. Why not celebrate them while you work to improve your own community?

  5. Oddball on February 18th, 2018 6:29 pm

    Always with the negative vibes man….

  6. mike on February 18th, 2018 1:24 pm

    waste of money, the old one works just fine. there is a lot of stuff that could have been improved, like drainage being the side of the road in some places. the county caters to areas where there are going to be nice houses built. the north end is on the bottom of the list. of course these being negative statements probably won’t get posted. some like to pretend all is happiness and light. :)

  7. anne 1of2 on February 18th, 2018 11:57 am

    Please do a report on how 3 lanes of traffic will be squished into 2 when we get to Gulf Breeze. At 35mph we will really have a good time. The Garcon Point bridge is fast becoming my best-bridge friend. The new bridge will be beautiful at night, from the Pensacola side, lol.

  8. Grand Locust on February 18th, 2018 7:17 am

    We have been promised infrastructure investments in this country for nearly a decade as our dysfunctional Congress spends half the time working than they did in 1968. We just increased our defense budget in peacetime by 65 billion per year which could build two hundred three mile bridges, or 600 miles of bridges to Houston, and create one million high paying private sector jobs compared to adding more government jobs which produce nothing. As people sit in their cars in traffic, or make a two mile detour because of a bridge failure in North Escambia, one asks why can’t Congress pass an infrastructure bill, well the answer is easy. We just gave 150 billion a year tax giveaway to the top 1% and every dollar we spend 38 cents is borrowed. When will the little people in this country come first, when will we have a balanced budget, and when will people in Germany, Japan, and South Korea defend themselves?

  9. Trocarman on February 18th, 2018 5:32 am

    Excellent photos. Thanks for the update. Great coverage by Northescambia.com.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News