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skyway bridge articles

non-jumper skyway articles.
2026 - current
updated: 08.04.26

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08.04.26: Skyway Bridge drivers still see backups near cashless toll plazas.

08.04.26, baynews9.com, MANATEE COUNTY, Fla., Drivers crossing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge are still seeing congestion near the toll plazas, even after the bridge went cashless.
The backups are often seen northbound in the morning near the toll plaza on the Manatee County side of the bridge and southbound in the afternoon near the toll plaza on the Pinellas County side.
Jim Shriner, who said he has commuted over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge nearly every day for the past seven years, said delays near the toll areas remain a regular issue.
"It’s not unusual, depending on the time of the year, to have a three- or four-mile-long backup waiting at the tollbooth," Shriner said.
Shriner reached out to Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka, concerned that the empty toll structures still affect traffic because drivers must slow down and merge as they pass through.
"Even if you’re aware of it, you still have to slow down to 25 mph and merge three lanes or four lanes into two," Shriner said. "And then when you have tourists who haven’t taken this route before, they kind of freak out and then it just backs up."
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials said that the long-term goal is to remove the toll booths, but funding has not yet been secured.
So before that happens, crews are preparing to start a resurfacing project that will include new lane markings intended to improve traffic flow through the plazas.
"We do want to tear down the toll gantry; that would be the ultimate goal," said Kris Carson with FDOT. "But until we find the funding, this resurfacing project is going to change the striping out there. That really should help with some of the traffic flow."
FDOT said the lane modifications will allow traffic to use the previous SunPass lanes and keep larger vehicles to the right.
Shriner said he hopes the striping changes help, but he believes removing the toll structures would be the best solution.
"Well, the obvious solution is more lanes, but you can’t put more lanes on that bridge," Shriner said. "So if you could get rid of the toll booths, bulldoze them, and make that a regular four-lane interstate on both sides, that will eliminate a distraction for a lot of people who have to slow down."

07.31.26: TOLL TAKEAWAY - Bridge goes CASHLESS after 70 years as drivers fume some are ‘getting screwed’.

07.31.26, the-sun.com, Toll-payers worry that the change means some drivers will have to pay extra.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which stretches across Tampa Bay to connect St. Petersburg to Terra Ceia, Florida, has gone cashless.
The bridge will now only accept SunPass, or toll-by-plate.
Other states’ toll transponders will also be accepted as a toll.
The toll for using an out-of-state transponder is $1.75 for passenger cars, while SunPass holders pay $1.16.
The change was first implemented in April, and drivers have not responded well to it.
Many complain that the toll-by-plate requirement means that rental car drivers could end up paying more unnecessarily.
"That’s not a great idea. I sometimes use a rental car and they charge extra when you use a toll road," one driver wrote on Facebook.
"Just paid 12 dollars when I had cash in hand thanks to this "better" system," another driver wrote.
"At least make some sort of system where people can throw in change.
"People with rentals are getting screwed."
Some believe that it would be much easier to simply use cash, and not have to deal with a car rental company.

04.07.26: Skyway Bridge going cashless on April 12.

04.07.26, mysuncoast.com, SARASOTA, Fla. - Drivers will no longer be able to pay cash at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge starting April 12. The Florida Department of Transportation is switching to cashless operations, requiring drivers to use a SunPass, other accepted transponders, or toll-by-plate billing.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge generates more than $28 million annually in total toll revenue, according to FDOT. The revenue goes toward bridge infrastructure and structural protection.
Bridge users will have to invest in a SunPass, take a different route, or find the toll bill in their mailbox.
FDOT released a statement saying "electronic tolling is safer and more efficient...allowing drivers to keep a steady pace and eliminates the need to stop and pay for tolls." The department also said electronic tolls lower operating costs and SunPass customers will save an average of 25% compared to cash or toll-by-plate.
Some local residents voiced concern that mailed bills will be a problem for people moving to different addresses. Others raised concerns over receiving scam bills in their text or email.
FDOT clarified that official toll invoices are sent only through U.S. mail.
The SunPass Pro transponder costs $14.95 plus tax and the SunPass Mini transponder costs $4.99 plus tax. Both units allow customers to have tolls electronically deducted from a prepaid account.
More information is available at sunpass.com.

03.20.26: DeSantis announces plan to build new Skyway fishing pier.

03.20.26, tampabay.com, About 0.6 miles of the 2-mile-long southern pier in Manatee County closed in October due to damage from Hurricane Milton.
The state of Florida will soon reconstruct the Sunshine Skyway fishing piers, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.
At a news conference in Bradenton - where DeSantis signed two environmental bills - the governor also announced a project to build a new fishing pier on the south side of the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The existing pier on the Pinellas County side will also be renovated as part of the project.
After an infamous ship crash in 1980 that killed 35 people, the Skyway bridge was replaced, and the ends of the old bridge were repurposed as the two Tampa Bay fishing piers.
"While fishing is a major draw, the pier is also a popular recreational spot for photography, kiteboarding, kayaking and just enjoying the sights and sounds of Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast," DeSantis said.
About 0.6 miles of the 2-mile-long south fishing pier in Manatee County closed in October due to damage from Hurricane Milton, according to DeSantis. At the time, the Florida Department of Transportation pointed to issues revealed during a structural inspection.
He said the state will construct a new pier adjacent to the current pier on the south side. At the same time, repairs will be made to the north pier in Pinellas County that will extend the lifespan by 20 years, according to DeSantis.
"I plan to have this project completed expeditiously so people can once again enjoy this great recreational attraction," he said.
DeSantis did not say when the project is expected to be completed.
A news release from the governor’s office said early construction will include enhancements to the parking areas and widening the sidewalks along the seawall.
"Temporary fishing piers are being built in an accelerated manner to help increase fishing opportunity areas and offset fishing opportunities that will be uninterrupted during construction," the release said. "Once complete, the project will restore one of Florida’s most iconic recreational destinations for fishing, sightseeing, and outdoor activities."

02.16.26: 57 St. Petersburg jobs cut as in-person tolls on Skyway eliminated.

02.16.26, businessobserverfl.com, TTEC, a Colorado technology company, is laying off 57 employees in St. Petersburg who work on toll collection on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The company announced the job cuts in letter to St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch, dated Feb. 13.
The Florida Department of Transportation has announced that it is transitioning to all-electronic tolls to ease congestion on the iconic span that crosses Tampa Bay.
The bridge connects St. Petersburg and Manatee County.
An FDOT official, Brian Hunter, told St. Petersburg City Council Feb. 5 that the department will begin construction to remove and replace the current tolling infrastructure "in the next couple of months." The long-term plan, he said, is to install a toll gantry - a metal structure over the road with cameras to record vehicles passing through - on both ends of the bridge in the next few years.
According to TTEC's letter, which was sent to meet federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requirements, the company will cease operations at the north and south end of the bridge April 14. All but one of the employees - 47 toll collectors, eight supervisors and one custodian - will be laid of on that day. A senior supervisor will stay on until April 30.
A TTEC spokesperson says in a Monday email that more layoffs are likely on the way, writing that the current WARN notice applies to employees "whose assignments are scheduled to conclude in April."
"As the client contract fully winds down, additional role impacts are expected and will be communicated in accordance with legal requirements," the spokesperson writes. "These actions are directly tied to the conclusion of this specific client contract."
The spokesperson did not respond to a follow up email asking how many total employees could be affected and a potential timeline.
TTEC is a global customer experience technology and services company that employs more than 54,000 people across 70 offices on six continents.
"We are actively working to identify other employment opportunities for impacted employees within TTEC and are committed to providing support throughout this transition," the spokesperson writes.

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