Pile driving operations complete

Pensacola Bay Bridge construction crews have reached a major milestone with the completion of pile driving for both the east and westbound bridges.

This project required a total of 2,252 piles, each one being brought by barge to the project site from the dedicated concrete casting yard on Bayou Chico.

The piles range in length from 60 to 210 feet and weigh between 54,000 and 189,000 pounds each. They’ve been driven into the bay floor to depths of 60 to 180 feet to provide the foundation for the $430 million structure.

With  pile driving complete, crews will continue setting trophy pieces and beams for the remaining portions of the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) bridge, pouring the concrete for the bridge decks and completing the multiuse paths that will be adjacent to the travel lanes on both bridges.

Plans call for completing the project later this year. In the meantime, the Pensacola Bay Bridge and its U.S. 98 approaches will remain an active construction zone. Please continue to obey the lower posted speed and obey all construction signs.

Boaters should comply with the U.S. Coast Guard’s 500-foot buffer zone around all bridge construction. Only low or idle speeds may be used in this zone. Crossing beneath the bridge should only be done at the center navigational channel.