I-10 bridge to memorialize Bogan
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

The Bogan family, David, Joy and Dove, visited the bridge before David Bogan passed away in February of this year.

In addition to the positive imprint David Bogan left on all those he met, the former Project Manager of the I-10 Escambia Bay bridges will be remembered for his impact on the crucial corridor that connects Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties. The Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze resident passed away from complications related to a brain tumor in early 2007. The state legislature renamed the newly repaired structure the David Bogan Bridge in its most recent legislative session. A dedication ceremony is planned for Dec.12 at the foot of the bridge.

The charismatic Florida Department of Transportation Employee was also memorialized by the David Bogan Reef, an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico created by the construction debris of the original Escambia Bay Bridge.

Dove Bogan, his wife, said the memorials are the perfect dedication to her late husband's memory.

"He would be so happy to know that his namesake is supporting new life underneath the waves," Bogan said.

Bogan often enjoyed water activities such as windsurfing and surfing in the Gulf before his passing in February 2007.

Escambia County's Marine Resource Manager, Robert Turpin, said locals are already reaping the benefits of the Bogan reef, located in 75 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico.

"People are not only enjoying these structures for personal consumptive use, but they're out there diving on them too," said Turpin, who began deploying material for the reefs in March of this year.

Construction firm Tidewater Skanska Flatiron Constructors (TSFC) was recently recognized with a Gulf Guardian Award from the Gulf of Mexico Program Partnership of the United States Environmental Protection Agency for their work on the reefs. TSFC and Escambia County's Marine Resources Division coordinated the sinking of more than 100,000 tons of concrete debris - encompassing 420 deconstructed spans - from the pre-existing bridges over Escambia Bay into designated sites in the Gulf.

The I-10 bridges over Escambia Bay were significantly damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which wiped out 58 sections of the eastbound bridge and misaligned 66 others. In March 2005, the Florida Department of Transportation awarded to TSFC the contract to rebuild the twin bridges and David Bogan was named Project Manager. The new eastbound bridge opened last December.