The Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Posted: 04.01.2025 | Updated: 04.01.2025

Bridges offer breathtaking views, but they also remind us of our own mortality, especially when there’s a tragic backstory behind it. Such is the case with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, a four-mile-long bridge connecting St. Petersburg to Terra Ceia.

It was the site of one of the worst disasters in Tampa Bay’s history. It’s also where over 200 people leaped to their deaths. Countless motorists and tollbooth workers can only assume these deaths are linked to the inexplicable activity they have witnessed on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. 

Tampa Terrors invites you for a unique ghost tour through Tampa after dark. Listen to the tragic tales of its ghostly former residents and explore some of the city’s most haunted locations. Who knows, you may even have your own otherworldly experience! Visit our site today while spots are still open. Make sure to also check out our blog for more spooky stories from its most haunted locations.

Is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Haunted?

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge holds a tragic past that has only compounded in the years following. A beloved landmark for the Tampa Bay area, countless people have lost their lives in the waters waiting below. One can only wonder if it’s coincidence or something more nefarious at work for what is considered one of the deadliest bridges in America. 

History of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Another bridge of the same name once stood roughly where the Sunshine Skyway Bridge stands today. It was approved for construction in 1927, but due to the financial impact of the Great Depression, the project was postponed and forgotten for the next 25 years. 

During that time, dramatically different ideas were proposed and dismissed, such as an underwater tunnel connecting Pinellas Point with Piney Point. People began relying heavily on ferries to cross Tampa Bay,  with departures every 30 minutes, until World War II, when the boats were confiscated for war efforts. 

The necessity for the bridge became apparent, leading to construction beginning on October 19, 1950, with 500 men working on the 11-million-pound steel bridge. It was inaugurated on September 6, 1954, and was one of the longest bridges in the world at that time. An expansion for smoother traffic was later added in 1971. 

However, tragedy struck Tampa Bay in January 1980 when a US Coast Guard cutter collided with an oil tanker near the bridge, resulting in the deaths of  23 people. Another incident occurred just a few months later, on May 9.  The Freighter MV Summit Venture lost control during a severe thunderstorm, crashing into the bridge’s second-span support column. As a result, 35 people lost their lives. 

A new bridge was constructed and opened in 1987 with extra precautions. Despite this, on the same day, the bridge opened, a 25-yard fishing boat collided with the concrete bumpers. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge remains in operation today but, unfortunately, has gained another tragic reputation. It’s one of the deadliest bridges in the U.S. for suicides, with 248 deaths as of 2020, and the number keeps rising. 

Hauntings at the Bridge

A Greyhound bus was among the vehicles that fell into the waters of Tampa Bay on the tragic day of the Sunshine Skyway’s collapse. Some who have fished from nearby piers — made from remaining parts of the old bridge — supposedly claim to feel a breeze and smell the distinct whiff of gasoline coming from the ill-fated bus.

A story from 1990 details an account of two witnesses who were on the fishing pier one morning. According to one of them, the phantom bus passed right by, with all the passengers onboard bolted forward, with looks of terror on their faces. He was then looking at the window at the back of the bus when a passenger turned around and waved at him, smiling. 

There is also a hair-raising legend connected to the bus when it was fished out of Tampa Bay. Greyhound salvaged whatever parts they could from it and installed them in other buses. It’s safe to say the ghosts didn’t think it was in good taste, considering every bus installed with one of its parts allegedly burst into flames.

There have also been alleged reports of unexplained light phenomena in the water under the bridge. But something else haunts the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Something far more unsettling. 

A Phantom Hitchhiker

Tollbooth workers and motorists have claimed to see a woman with blonde hair standing in the middle of the road around midnight. Others say she hitchhikes, but as if this wasn’t unusual enough, walking on the bridge is illegal. Naturally, drivers would park on the side, thinking she was a jumper. However, she would vanish as soon as they got out of their car. 

Other accounts explain that this feminine spirit would, in fact, accept a ride from anyone daring to offer. She appears nervous and fidgety once she’s in the car, eager to get to the other side of the bridge. It’s not too long after when the driver will turn their head and see that she is gone. 

Haunted Tampa 

There’s a chill that comes over Tampa once darkness sets on the tropical cityscape. It’s not the ocean breeze but something colder, carrying a whisper of the past as you feel a slight tap on your shoulder. 

You turn to look, but no one is there. There’s a lot more to Tampa than beaches and coastal city life. It’s a place where the veil between the dead and the living has faded, turning this stunning city into a central hive for ghosts. 

Curious to see if there’s truth to the legends behind some of Tampa’s most haunted sites? Get ready for a more intimate ghost tour like no other with Tampa Terrors! Visit our site and book a spot with us today! Be sure to also check our blog for more chilling stories from America’s most terrifying locations, and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sources:

• https://tampaterrors.com/
• https://www.tampabay.com/news/2020/05/07/what-happened-to-those-who-made-headlines-after-the-skyway-bridge-accident/
• https://www.webuildvalue.com/en/infrastructure-news/sunshine-skyway-bridge-tampa.html
• https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/nets-going-up-to-prevent-suicides-at-sunshine-skyway-bridge/2175613/
• https://skywaybridge.com/2020.htm
• https://www.wfla.com/dont-miss/real-ghost-stories-from-tampas-most-haunted-locations/
• https://urbanlegends.spiritsofstpete.com/pinellas-county/sunshine-skyway/
• https://thebradentontimes.com/stories/sunday-favorites-the-ghosts-of-the-skyway-bridge,17961