PENSACOLA — Skanska USA has gone to federal court arguing it should not be held financially responsible for the economic damage caused by the closure of the Three Mile Bridge, a filing that has drawn an angry response from businesses on both sides of the span.
The bridge has been out of service since Hurricane Sally, when barges belonging to the construction company broke loose and struck it. The crossing is a main artery linking Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and the beaches, and its loss has forced traffic onto longer alternate routes.
Five liability filings
Skanska filed five limitation of liability actions Wednesday night, according to attorney Sam Geisler, who characterized the company’s position bluntly.
“They’re seeking total exoneration from any responsibility for paying a penny to any of the businesses harmed by this bridge outage,” Geisler said.
Limitation of liability actions are a maritime legal mechanism that vessel owners can use to cap or eliminate their exposure to claims arising from an incident.
Business owners react
Anmarie Wright, who manages Gulf Breeze Bait & Tackle, a shop that has operated in the community for four decades, said the filings were indefensible.
“I think it is completely ridiculous,” Wright said. “It makes me outraged that they’re not doing the right thing by our community. If you look at their core ethics for their company that they stand behind communities they build in — they do not.”
The company’s court filings set up a fight over who absorbs the losses stacked up by merchants, restaurants and service businesses that depend on traffic across the bridge. The claims on both sides remain to be resolved in federal court.