The Howard Frankland Bridge, which connects St. Petersburg to Tampa, has long been a fixture over Tampa Bay. Its very first span ceased operations Wednesday and will be demolished.
The bridge opened in January 1960 and was the vision of businessman Howard Frankland, who served on the Florida State Road Board (now known as the Florida Department of Transportation, or FDOT).
For 30 years, it had a single span that carried traffic in both directions…