The Howard Frankland and Sunshine Skyway bridges close as Helene approaches

The Howard Frankland Bridge was closed at 3:40 p.m. Thursday as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Helene increased over Tampa Bay.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge was closed several hours earlier due to high winds. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, wind gusts reached 60 miles per hour at the time of the closure. The bridge typically closes when winds reach a sustained speed of 45 miles per hour.

The Courtney Campbell Causeway closed at 5 p.m. A spokesman for the motorway police urged drivers to stay away from the motorways if possible as the storm intensified.

The Gandy Bridge remains open to motorists. Further wave action from Tampa Bay could close the bridge later in the day.

The dangers began early Thursday.

By 10 a.m. Thursday morning, waves from Tampa Bay had already begun crashing against the northern Howard Frankland Bridge toward Tampa, splashing water across the concrete. These waves increased in the following hours.

Earlier in the afternoon, highway patrol cars were stationed in the median of Howard Frankland, apparently observing storm conditions with water spray covering passing cars.

Hurricane Helene’s initial impact on Tampa Bay’s bridges mirrors what happened nearly two months ago during Hurricane Debby, which hit the region as a tropical storm. Then there was flooding and damage to the dams in the low-lying, north-bound section of the Howard Frankland.

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