Pinellas Bayway
Encyclopedia
The Pinellas Bayway System is a series of bridges on two Florida State Roads in Pinellas County, Florida
. It is a toll road
complex maintained and operated by the Florida Department of Transportation
. It also is compatible with the SunPass
ETC
system currently in used on all other FDOT-owned toll roads. The Pinellas Bayway consists of:
The two State Roads intersect on Isla del Sol midway between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach. Both highways have drawbridge
s in addition to low-level causeway
s in their configuration. Attempts to replace the drawbridges with bridges of a different design in recent years have met resistance from both nearby residents, yachtsmen
, and the local chapter of the NAACP. http://www.inventionandtechnology.com/xml/2004/4/it_2004_4_dept_notes.xml
Studies are being conducted by FDOT as to how the bridges will be replaced and how much they would cost. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1035895801.html?dids=1035895801:1035895801&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+12%2C+2006&author=PAUL+SWIDER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=6&desc=Officials+consider+replacing+Tierra+Verde+bridge
Both Fort DeSoto Park and the Pinellas Bayway opened on December 21, 1962. The east–west portion was then signed SR A19A
, a designation it kept until the mid-1980s, when FDOT did a statewide reallocation of state route numbers. Despite the redesignation, some local businesses and residents still refer to A19A when mentioning the Bayway.
Bayway Isle residents may purchase a Bayway Isle annual pass for $15 annually, allowing them unlimited passage through the northeast toll plaza, only. This discount was authorized at the time of the original construction of the facility. The pass is sold in June of each year and expires on July 1 the following year.
Commuters and other frequent users have the option of purchasing an unlimited pass for $50 annually. This commuter pass, which is good at all three plazas on the Bayway system, is renewable each September, and was authorized by legislation in 1985.
The prices include the rental of transponder for the term of the annual pass.
There has been much controversy over these toll increases. Local public officials (including Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg) have come out loudly against what some perceive as an unfair allocation of costs to Pinellas Bayway residents. In February, 2008 an ad-hoc coalition of affected Homeowner Associations, the "Citizens's Bayway Task Force' organized to fight the toll increase. The legislation to increase the tolls on the Pinellas Bayway was withdrawn on March 19, 2008.http://www.baywaytaskforce.org/
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
. It is a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
complex maintained and operated by the Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
. It also is compatible with the SunPass
SunPass
SunPass is an electronic toll collection system in use by the State of Florida and was originally created by the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida's Turnpike...
ETC
Electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
system currently in used on all other FDOT-owned toll roads. The Pinellas Bayway consists of:
- State Road 682, an east–west divided highway connecting SR 699State Road 699 (Florida)Locally known as Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road, State Road 699 is a 15-mile-long road running the length of the Pinellas County barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico and serving the popular beaches near St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Largo. The southern terminus of SR 699 is at the extreme...
on a Gulf of MexicoGulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
barrier islandBarrier islandBarrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
near St. Pete Beach, FloridaSt. Pete Beach, FloridaSt. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States famous for its status as a tourist destination. St. Pete Beach was formed from the Towns of Pass-a-Grille, Don CeSar, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated Pinellas County. At the time of its incorporation...
to Interstate 275Interstate 275 (Florida)Interstate 275 in Florida serves the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, measuring 60.696 miles in length. The southern terminus is I-75 near Palmetto, just five miles east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a toll bridge crossing Tampa Bay. The highway passes through St...
(SR 93State Road 93 (Florida)State Road 93 is the hidden Florida Department of Transportation designator for the following routes:*Interstate 75 from the Georgia state line to the interchange with the Palmetto Expressway and the Gratigny Parkway in Miami Lakes....
) and US 19 (SR 55) in St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, FloridaSt. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. The 3.7-mile-long State Road 682 passes over three bridges (toll: 50 cents) as it crosses the entrance of Boca Ciega Bay.
- State Road 679, a hook-shaped north–south road with a four-lane divided northern half (between SR 682 and Tierra VerdeTierra Verde, FloridaTierra Verde is a census-designated place in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,574 at the 2000 census.Located at the end of Tierra Verde is Fort De Soto County Park.-Geography:...
) and a two-lane southern half serving Fort DeSoto Park at the tip of the "hook" (35 cents toll). Motorists traveling the entire length of SR 679 traverse two bridges.
The two State Roads intersect on Isla del Sol midway between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach. Both highways have drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
s in addition to low-level causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
s in their configuration. Attempts to replace the drawbridges with bridges of a different design in recent years have met resistance from both nearby residents, yachtsmen
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
, and the local chapter of the NAACP. http://www.inventionandtechnology.com/xml/2004/4/it_2004_4_dept_notes.xml
Studies are being conducted by FDOT as to how the bridges will be replaced and how much they would cost. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1035895801.html?dids=1035895801:1035895801&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+12%2C+2006&author=PAUL+SWIDER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=6&desc=Officials+consider+replacing+Tierra+Verde+bridge
Both Fort DeSoto Park and the Pinellas Bayway opened on December 21, 1962. The east–west portion was then signed SR A19A
State Road A19A (Florida)
State Road A19A is a loop in the St. Petersburg, Florida, area that currently consists of the entirety of the north–south SR 693 , a stretch of SR 699 in and near St. Pete Beach, and the entirety of SR 682...
, a designation it kept until the mid-1980s, when FDOT did a statewide reallocation of state route numbers. Despite the redesignation, some local businesses and residents still refer to A19A when mentioning the Bayway.
Tolls
The Pinellas Bayway system employs cash and electronic toll collection. While casual users of the Bayway system may use their SunPass or other Florida-compatible electronic toll collection transponders, two discount programs for Bayway Isle and commuters are also authorized, in conjunction with SunPass usage.Bayway Isle residents may purchase a Bayway Isle annual pass for $15 annually, allowing them unlimited passage through the northeast toll plaza, only. This discount was authorized at the time of the original construction of the facility. The pass is sold in June of each year and expires on July 1 the following year.
Commuters and other frequent users have the option of purchasing an unlimited pass for $50 annually. This commuter pass, which is good at all three plazas on the Bayway system, is renewable each September, and was authorized by legislation in 1985.
The prices include the rental of transponder for the term of the annual pass.
Toll Controversy
On November 28, 2007 the Florida Department of Transportation held a public hearing and revealed that they planned to more than double the cash and Sunpass tolls on the Pinellas Bayway, and to eliminate the $15 Bayway resident pass. The funds from these increased tolls would be used to issue bonds for the eventual improvement of the bridges of the Bayway System.There has been much controversy over these toll increases. Local public officials (including Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg) have come out loudly against what some perceive as an unfair allocation of costs to Pinellas Bayway residents. In February, 2008 an ad-hoc coalition of affected Homeowner Associations, the "Citizens's Bayway Task Force' organized to fight the toll increase. The legislation to increase the tolls on the Pinellas Bayway was withdrawn on March 19, 2008.http://www.baywaytaskforce.org/