Indian River Bridges

Bridges and Causeways that cross the Indian River.

About

Until 1920, there were only two bridges spanning across the Indian River, one in Brevard County's Cocoa and the second in Martin County's Hobe Sound. On Labor Day in 1920, a new wooden Vero Bridge opened and access to the ocean was available to all who lived on the Vero mainland. For boat traffic, a bridge tender, who lived in a house near the middle of the crossing, would open the metal swing span by hand. Tolls were charged to cross the bridge, ranging from 5 cents for pedestrians, 10 cents for horses and 35 cents for delivery trucks.

In 1925, construction began on the first wooden bridge across the Indian River Lagoon in Eau Gallie. On February 22, 1926, the bridge opened to vehicle traffic headed to a sand trail at Canova Beach. There was no railing on the bridge for a year after its construction. There are no records that anyone fell off the bridge during this time.

Post War 1940's the U.S. government funded construction of new bridges across the Indian River. As Florida's population grew, more traffic headed to the barrier islands, and modern bridges created from steel and concrete were constructed. These early concrete and steel bridges used earthen berths to partially span the river, with a lift or swing drawbridge in the middle to allow tall boats to pass. A boat unable to pass under the bridge would signal the tender, who was in a shack hanging off the bridge's side, to open the drawbridge so they could pass through. In less populated areas, the drawbridges were unattended at night and boats would have to anchor, and await the bridge tender's return the next morning.

A lagoon does not have a typical river type current, their water is only moved by wind and a minor tidal flow. Earthen berm causeways contribute to the Indian River's health problems by impeding the lagoon's water flow, limiting it's ability to flush out stagnant water containing algae, bacteria, dead seagrass and pollutants. Recently the river's communities have recognized the harm these old berm bridges cause, and are requiring high rise bridges that span the entire river.

Indian River Bridges by County

Bridge Info Cards

Brevard County

Haulover Canal Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Haulover Canal Bridge		Road: SR3		FDOT: 703004
Water: Haulover Canal		City: Merritt Island		County: Brevard
Type: Double Leaf Bascule Span		Length:	Height	Built: 1964
1964 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Bascule double leaf drawbridge crossing Florida SR3 (N Courtney Parkway) over the Haulover Canal in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.
Haulover Canal History NASA Haulover Photo Gallery KSC Cultural Resources: Recordation: Haulover Canal Bridge 1964 Daytona Beach Morning Journal Article: Haulover Contract Let

Max Brewer Bridge

Max Brewer Bridge
Completed in 2010, the 3,207' long, 65' high A. Max Brewer Bridge connects the City of Titusville to Merritt Island providing access to the Kennedy Space Center via SR406. Includes a fishing pier and boat ramps on the west side and a 20' observation deck at the crest. This bridge is a good observation site for Kennedy Space Center, when it is closed to vehicle traffic. Article
Waterway: North Indian River				Road: SR406
City: Titusville			County: Brevard
Type: Segmental Span			Builder:DRMP
DOT: 700227		L: 3,207'	H: 65'	Built: 2010
Location: 28.61758,-80.80274

National Bridge Data

Number	700227
Route	00406
Place	Titusville
County	Brevard
Features	Indian River
Facility	SR-406
Location	SR-406 over Indian River
Latitude	28371291
Longitude	80475557
Service On Roadway	Highway
Service Under Roadway	Waterway
Owner	FDOT
Built	2010
Rebuilt
Lanes	2
Lane Direction	2 way
Direction
Traffic	4000
Traffic Year	2016
Future Traffic	6940
Future Traffic Year	2038
Length	978m
Width	17m
Clearance
Kind	Prestressed concrete continuous
Type	Stringer/Multi-beam/Girder
Deck Type	Concrete Cast-in-Place
Critical
Inspection Date (mm-yy)	06-17
Deck	Very Good
Superstructure	Good
Substructure	Very Good
Channel	Banks are protected or well vegetated. River control devices such as spur dikes and embankment protection are not required or are in a stable condition.
Culvert	N/A
Scour	Bridge foundations determined to be stable for assessed or calculated scour condition. Scour is determined to be within the limits of footing or piles (Example B) by assessment (i.e.,bridge foundations are on rock formations that have been determined to resist scour within the service life of the bridge), by calculations or by installation of properly designed countermeasures

Sebastian Inlet Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Name: Sebastian Inlet Bridge		Road: A1A		FDOT: 880005
Water: Sebastian Inlet		City: Indian River Oaks		County: Brevard
Type: Concrete Cast-in-Place		Length: 1548'	Height: 37'	Built: 1964
Built by Cleary Brothers Construction Company, West Palm Beach, Florida, and was completed in 1964. A fishing pier is constructed below the bridge and goes out the inlet along the jetty to the Atlantic.
Sebastian Inlet Florida State Park Sebastian Inlet Bridge Report

Indian River County

Wabasso Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Wabasso Bridge		Road: CR510		FDOT: 880053
Water: Indian River		City: Wabasso		County: Indian River
Type: Stringer		Length: 112.9'	Height: 62'	Built: 1970
The Wabasso Bridge is a two-lane concrete bridge spanning SR510 over the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) in Indian River County, Florida. Read More
* BridgeReports: National Bridge Inventory data Wabasso Bridge History

17th Street Bridge

Indian River Bridges
17th Street Bridge		Road: CR656		FDOT: 880077
Water: Indian River		City: Vero Beach		County: Indian River
Type: Stringer/Multi-beam		Length: 4730.9'	Height: 62.3	Built: 1979
17th Street Bridge (officially named the Alma Lee Loy Bridge in 2012[1]) is a fixed concrete bridge that spans the Indian River intracoastal waterway in Indian River County, Florida. The bridge, started in 1977, was constructed by Gulf Contracting Inc, FL and was completed in 1979.
* Bridge Report

Merrill Barber Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Merrill P. Barber Bridge		Road: SR60		FDOT: 880087
Water: Indian River		City: Vero Beach		County: Indian River
Type: Stringer/Multi-beam		Length: 3834.2'	Height: 62.3	Built: 1995
The Merrill Barber Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Indian River Intracoastal Waterway in Indian River County, Florida. Read More
Video: Merrill P. Barber Bridge is Busiest Connection From Vero Beach to Barrier Island Bridge Report

Martin County

Roosevelt Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Roosevelt Bridge		Road: US1		FDOT: 890160
Water: St. Lucie River		City: Stuart		County: Martin
Type: Segmental Span		Length: 2982.8'	Height: 62.3'	Built:
The Roosevelt Bridge is a major highway segmental bridge across the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida. Carrying U.S. Route 1, it was built to supersede the old Roosevelt Bridge, which had twin parallel drawbridges, one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound.
* Bridge Report

Ernest Lyons Bridge

Indian River Bridges
Ernest Lyons Bridge			Road: A1A	FDOT: 890158
Water: St. Lucie River		City: Sewell's Point		County: Martin
T'ype: Segmental Span		Length: 4600'	Height: 62.3'	Built: 2008
The new Ernest F. Lyons Bridge is a 4600-ft-long, 31-span, two-lane, precast segmental bridge built using the span-by-span method of construction.
Ernest F. Lyons Bridge Replacement Ernest F. Lyons Bridge Replacement Project Corven Engineering

Bridge Inspections

• Volusia County Bridge Inspection Reports
• Brevard County Bridge Inspection Reports
• Indian River County Bridge Inspection Reports
• St. Lucie County Bridge Inspection Reports
• Martin County Bridge Inspection Reports
• Palm Beach County Bridge Inspection Reports

Web Links

• EPA - An Introduction to a National Treasure

References

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