TAMPA, Fla. — The original span of the Howard Frankland Bridge, which opened in 1960, will be demolished later this year or early next year after the new $865 million span opened on Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The original span only cost $16 million and was riddled with problems when it first opened leading to the nickname the “Howard Frankenstein Bridge,” according to historian Rodney Kite-Powell, Tampa Bay History Center.
“Very dangerous bridge, a lot of accidents, a lot of fatalities and then it had a lot of just gridlock,” he said. “A lot of traffic that just kind of went to a standstill, particularly when even the most minor accident.”
The bridge was named after the man who proposed building it, Tampa businessesman Howard Frankland. Kite-Powell said Frankland’s descendants should be proud of what has become of the bridge.
“It’d be interesting to talk to the Frankland family with so many safety improvements and with this new span,” he said. “I hope that they can be proud that this bridge is named for Howard Frankland again.”
Safety improvements were added to the original bridge in 1962. Kite Powell said the original span was an important connection for the middle of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Feather Sound and the Westshore area sprang up on both sides.
“This middle span was really critical,” he said. “It really fostered a whole lot of growth, bringing a lot more cars, a lot more people, and then a lot more business.”
In the 1990s, the old bridge was closed for a widening project due to increasing traffic. The historian said the area’s forefathers knew cars were going to be a popular mode of transportation.
“So the automobile, as they predicted, was going to be king, and it absolutely is,” he said. “But I don’t think they could have ever anticipated the volume that we see today.”
The original span has lasted 65 years. The new span is expected to last the next 100 years. Traffic on the old bridge will be moved to another span this summer.
