Under the bridge downtown

My friend Cesar of CesarDPhoto.com recently posted some pictures on his blog that caught my attention.  I enjoy taking my bicycle out for the occasional leisurely ride down bayshore or through downtown and sometimes I even ride it to work.  One of my biggest gripes about bicycling from South Tampa / Bayshore area into downtown is the difficult and sometimes dangerous trip over the river.  Maneuvering the one-way bridges and narrow and steep curving sidewalks that lead to them are not easy for a casual or new rider.  So I was surprised to see Cesar's photo of the pedestrian path under the Platt Street bridge, I thought that one may be there but never took the time to check for myself.

Underpass in 1939 before the Brorein St. Bridge was built:

The subways were part of a new deal project that created a better connection between Bayshore Boulevard and Platt Street.  This project also created the municipal marina still in use today.   As you can see Bayshore use to run right along the seawall all the way to the bridge, but over the years it was diverted to add a green space which holds the Columbus Memorial.

For now the underpass remains shuttered to the general public.