Beach Access, Major Bridges Reopen In Tampa Bay Area: Hurricane Idalia

Updated: 5:28 p.m., Wednesday

TAMPA BAY, FL — Major bridges throughout the Tampa Bay area were affected by Hurricane Ian, which brought rain, wind and flooding to the region before making landfall in the Big Bend area as a Category 3 storm Wednesday morning, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.

Since then, many have reopened to drivers. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has reopened after closing earlier because of wind speeds between 50 and 60 mph recorded, the agency said. The fishing piers and rest areas remain closed because of flooding.

The four-lane cable-stayed concrete bridge with northbound and southbound lanes is part of I-275 and U.S. Highway 19. It connects Pinellas and Manatee counties. The bridge closes when there are maximum sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.

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All lanes of Howard Frankland Bridge have reopened, FHP said. The northbound and southbound lanes of the fixed-link bridge, which connects Tampa and St. Petersburg, were previously closed because of storm surge and flooding.

All lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway, which runs between Clearwater and Tampa, have reopened, and the Gandy Bridge, connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg, was the first closed bridge to reopen this morning.

Bridges to all Pinellas County barrier islands reopened at 5 p.m. and the mandatory evacuation order has been lifted, according to an alert from the county. Access to the beach communities initially shut down at 5:30 a.m.

“Residents should exercise caution when returning home and avoid any roads that remain flooded or have other debris. Emergency crews may still be working in the area,” the county said.