Sunshine Skyway Bridge to be Commemorated on Postal Stamp

BRADENTON – The U.S. Postal Servicewill celebrate the beauty of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge with a Priority Mail® stamp. In the stamp artwork, the bridge rises from the vivid blue water of Tampa Bay and is silhouetted against an orange sky. Tiny vehicles on the roadbed reveal the massive scale of this modern-engineering marvel.

 

The bridge was one of the first major concrete-and-steel, cable-stayed bridges in the United States. Completed in 1987 after a freighter collided with its predecessor, the main bridge and approach spans stretch more than four miles across Tampa Bay and link the Gulf Coast communities surrounding St. Petersburg and Bradenton.

The 42 bright-yellow cables are often said to look like sails and their two supporting pylons like masts rising from the water. Engineers designed the cable-stayed section of the new bridge to soar 190 feet above the water in order to allow unhindered navigation to and from the busy port of Tampa.

 

Setting new standards for technical innovation and esthetics, the structural design is considered by many to be a modern masterpiece. The bridge was renamed the Bob Graham/Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 2005, after the former governor who envisioned its construction. It has been the recipient of dozens of engineering and design awards.

 

The stamp, designed by Carl T. Hermann of North Las Vegas, NV, showcases a digital illustration created by artist Dan Cosgrove of New York City. Its release date has not yet been announced.