PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation and the US Coast Guard are teaming up to enhance search and rescue capabilities along the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
This comes after the Coast Guard had 35 rescue cases in the area of the bridge last year.
Now, the Coast Guard will get access to FDOT's bridge lights.
Connor Sullivan with the Coast Guard said this will increase visibility when they are searching for people or boats overnight.
“So, at night, it can be really challenging to find a person in the water. Having access to the lights allows our boat crews to go out and search more effectively," he said.
The bridge lights increase visibility by about 280 yards, depending on the color of light used. That is the equivalent of more than two football fields.
Sullivan said this is a popular fishing and boating spot, and they respond to help people near the Sunshine Skyway often.
“Due to a high volume of maritime search and rescue cases in the vicinity of the Skyway bridge, we noticed that the light system could really enhance our capabilities,” Sullivan said.
He explained that when it's dark and they are searching for someone in the water, time is of the essence. The increased visibility will allow them to help people faster.
Now that the Coast Guard has remote access to those lights on the bridge, they can change the color from their command center as crews are on the way.
The white light gives them the furthest visibility, but Sullivan added there are other colors that could help with their night vision. They already had a case where the lights helped them find a kayaker in the area.
