A part of Tampa Bay history will meet the wrecking ball this week.
The Friendship Trail bridge was first used as the main south bridge across Tampa Bay, then as a recreational trail for bikers and joggers. The bridge will be demolished this week.
Supporters of the bridge fought for several years to raise the funds to repair the bridge, but those efforts fell short, and the bridge has been blocked off since 2008, when engineers determined it was unsafe.
On Monday afternoon, heavy equipment and barges will move in to tear the span down. The actual demolition could start by Wednesday.
Although the demolition of the Friendship Trail bridge is not expected to affect traffic on the Gandy bridge, you can expect slower-moving traffic as people try to sneak a peek at the demolition as they drive by, which will be happening daily between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The parking lots and areas around the bridge have been blocked off, and boaters are being asked to stay out of the construction area until demolition is complete.
This could be one of the biggest recycling projects on Old Tampa Bay ever recorded.
The entire span, which is 2.6 miles long, will be recycled and used as road base and aggregate for other projects.