Indian River Bridges

About the Indian River (IR) Causeways and Bridges

Wooden Wabasso Bridge, Vero, Indian River County

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.

Haulover Canal Bridge, Merritt Island

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.

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 KSC Cultural Resources: Recordation: Haulover Canal Bridge 1964 Daytona Beach Morning Journal Article: Haulover Contract Let

Max Brewer Bridge

	Indian River Bridges
	Max Brewer Bridge		Road: SR406		FDOT: 700227
	Water: Indian River		City: Titusville		County: Brevard
	Type: Segmental Span		Length: 3,207'	Height: 65'	Built: 2010
	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. Read More
	DRMP Max Brewer Bridge Replacement Bridgehunter: A. Max Brewer Bridge Max Brewer Bridge Inspection Report

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

References