Merrill Barber Bridge

The Merrill P. Barber Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Indian River Intracoastal Waterway in Indian River County, Florida.

Merrill P. Barber Bridge, SR60, Vero Beach to Barrier Island, Indian River

Table of Contents

About the Merrill Barber Bridge

The original connection to the barrier island was a curved wooden structure built on cabbage palm pilings and opened in 1920. In 1951, it was replaced with the Barber Bridge, which was concrete with a steel bascule span. This bridge was in constant state of disrepair and was removed, barged out to sea and sunk to became a reef. The steel bascule span was purchased by Disney and is noe in Orlando at the Walt Disney World theme park.

The Merrill P. Barber Bridge, built in 1995, is a concrete arch bridge that span SR60 over the Indian River Intracoastal Waterway in Indian River County, Florida. The bridge was built by Odebrecht Contractors of Florida, Inc. and was completed in 1995. It is named for Merrill P. Barber, the mayor of Vero Beach from 1947 to 1949, and member of the Florida Senate from the 12th District from 1954 to 1958 and from the 29th District from 1963 to 1968.

The bridge has a total length of 3,834 feet (1,169 m) with a main span of 100 feet (30 m). The vertical clearance is 65 ft. The Florida Department of Transportation number is 880087. A fishing pier is constructed below the bridge on the east side.

Info Card

Fact Sheet

Source: National Bridge Inventory. Information not verified; use at your own risk.

Name:	SR-60 over ICWW
Structure number:	880087
Location:	0.6Mi. W of SR-A1A
Purpose:	Carries highway and pedestrian walkway over waterway
Route classification:	Minor Arterial (Urban) [16]
Length of largest span:	142.1 ft. [43.3 m]
Total length:	3834.2 ft. [1168.6 m]
Roadway width between curbs:	80.1 ft. [24.4 m]
Deck width edge-to-edge:	99.1 ft. [30.2 m]
Vertical clearance below bridge:	62.3 ft. [19.0 m]
Owner:	State Highway Agency [01]
Year built:	1995
Historic significance:	Bridge is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places [5]
Design load:	MS 18+Mod / HS 20+Mod [6]
Number of main spans:	27
Main spans material:	Prestressed concrete continuous [6]
Main spans design:	Stringer/Multi-beam or girder [02]
Deck type:	Concrete Cast-in-Place [1]

Inspection

Latest Available Inspection: March 2017

Good/Fair/Poor Condition:	Good
Status:	Open, no restriction [A]
Average daily traffic:	23,500 [as of 2016]
Truck traffic:	5% of total traffic
Deck condition:	Good [7 out of 9]
Superstructure condition:	Good [7 out of 9]
Substructure condition:	Good [7 out of 9]
Structural appraisal:	Better than present minimum criteria [7]
Deck geometry appraisal:	Superior to present desirable criteria [9]
Water adequacy appraisal:	Superior to present desirable criteria [9]
Roadway alignment appraisal:	Better than present minimum criteria [7]
Channel protection:	Bank protection is in need of minor repairs. River control devices and embankment protection have a little minor damage. Banks and/or channel have minor amounts of drift. [7]
Pier/abutment protection:	In place and functioning [2]
Scour condition:	Bridge foundations determined to be stable for the assessed or calculated scour condition. [8]
Sufficiency rating:	89.2

Weblinks

• Merrill P. Barber Bridge is Busiest Connection From Vero Beach to Barrier Island
• Merrill Barber Bridge Project: Vero Beach, FL