The area around the old and new Pensacola Bay Bridge is an active marine construction zone. For safety reasons, no trespassing is allowed in the area and fishing from the bridge piers is prohibited.
A drive over the Pensacola Bay Bridge these days shows a lot of barge traffic as crews work to demolish the old bridge and drive the remaining piles for the new westbound structure. The old bridge consisted of 257 concrete sections known as “spans.” Each of the spans consists of concrete piles that were driven into the bay floor more than 60 years ago, footers, columns, pile caps, girders, and bridge decks.
For an update on work underway and milestones over the last year, read the Pensacola Bay Bridge Winter 2020 E-Newsletter. This issue includes an update on current work activities and another look at the first arch installation above the navigational channel last year. Also featured is the Pensacola Bay Bridge "Goes to School" program and what to expect for the 17th Avenue intersection project.
The demolition of the old Pensacola Bay Bridge presents opportunities to reuse and recycle the concrete and steel components that have served the region since 1960. The old bridge included more than 47,000 cubic yards of concrete, all of which are being disposed of offshore for building fishing reefs.
