Pinellas Bayway

The Pinellas Bayway System is a series of bridges on two 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 use on all other FDOT-owned toll roads. The Pinellas Bayway consists of:

 
State Road 679 & State Road 682
SR 679 highlighted in red and SR 682 in blue
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
State Road 679
Length4.816 mi[1] (7.751 km)
South endFort De Soto Park
North end SR 682 in St. Petersburg
State Road 682
Length3.721 mi[2] (5.988 km)
West end SR 699 in St. Pete Beach
East end I-275 / US 19 in St. Petersburg
Highway system
← SR 678→ SR 681
← SR 681→ SR 683
The bascule bridge on SR 682 in 2011, before it was dismantled and replaced by a high-level bridge

The two State Roads intersect on Isla del Sol midway between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach. Until 2013, both highways had drawbridges in addition to low-level causeways in their configuration, and SR 679 retains this configuration. Attempts to replace the drawbridges with bridges of a different design in recent years met resistance from both nearby residents, yachtsmen, and the local chapter of the NAACP. As of 2006, studies were being conducted by FDOT as to how the bridges would be replaced and how much they would cost.[3] The low-level causeway and bascule-type drawbridge on SR 682 were replaced in 2013–2014 by a new high-level causeway without a movable span.

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.

On October 14, 2000, the portion of SR 679 in Fort De Soto Park was transferred to Pinellas County.[1]

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.

Withdrawn toll increase

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.

Local public officials (including Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg) spoke 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.[4]

Major intersections
Florida State Road 679 junction sign on Pinellas Bayway
SR 679

The entire route is in Pinellas County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Fort De Soto Park0.0000.000
3.4[5]5.5Anderson Boulevard - East Beach
5.1448.278south end of state maintenance
​5.144–
5.420		8.278–
8.723		Bridge over Bunces Pass
Tierra Verde5.5989.009toll plaza (southbound only)
​8.476–
8.739		13.641–
14.064		Bridge over Boca Ciega Bay Main Channel (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway)
St. Petersburg9.96016.029 SR 682 (Pinellas Bayway) to I-275 (Sunshine Skyway) – St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Tolled
SR 682

The entire route is in Pinellas County.

Locationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
St. Pete Beach0.0000.000 SR 699 north (Gulf Boulevard) – Pass-A-Grille, Treasure Island, Historic District
0.3120.502toll plaza (eastbound only)
​0.429–
0.906		0.690–
1.458		Bridge over Boca Ciega Bay (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway)
St. Petersburg1.4242.292 SR 679 south – Tierra Verde, Fort Desoto Park, Shell & Egmont Keys Ferry
2.8214.540toll plaza (westbound only)
3.5685.742 I-275 north (SR 93) – TampaI-275 exit 17
3.7215.988 US 19 (34th Street South / SR 55) to I-275 south – Bradenton
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Tolled

See also

References
  1. Transportation and Data Analytics Office (June 12, 2017). "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  2. Transportation and Data Analytics Office (May 31, 2018). "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. Swider, Paul (May 12, 2006). Officials consider replacing Tierra Verde bridge St. Petersburg Times.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20080820053655/http://www.baywaytaskforce.org/
  5. Google Maps distance
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