Eau Gallie Causeway | |
|---|---|
 Eau Gallie Causeway | |
| Coordinates | 28°07′58″N80°37′05″W / 28.13278°N 80.61806°W /28.13278; -80.61806 |
| Carries |  SR 518 |
| Crosses | Indian River |
| Locale | Eau Gallie & Indian Harbour Beach |
| Characteristics | |
| No. oflanes | 4 lanes |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1988 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Eau Gallie Causeway | |
TheEau Gallie Causeway connectsEau Gallie, Florida (which merged withMelbourne in 1969), withSR A1A nearIndian Harbour Beach, across theIndian River Lagoon. Located entirely within the Melbourne city limits, the causeway consists of a main bridge crossing over theIntracoastal Waterway and a relief bridge. The bridge is a key link inSR 518, Eau Gallie Boulevard, of which the causeway is a part.
In 1925, construction began on the first wooden bridge across theIndian River Lagoon. On February 22, 1926, George Washington's Birthday, the bridge opened to traffic. The bridge connected to a sand trail that led toCanova Beach. At this time, 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. In 1944 a 200 feet (61 m) section of the bridge burned.[citation needed]
On February 22, 1955, George Washington's Birthday, a new multimillion-dollar concrete bridge was dedicated toDr. William Jackson Creel. The second Eau Gallie Causeway featured aswing span drawbridge.[citation needed]
The third bridge, a high-risecauseway, was completed in 1988.[citation needed]
Just north of the bridge, theIndian River Lagoon splits to form theBanana River Lagoon east of the southern tip ofMerritt Island, Florida. Its southern tip has been known locally as Dragon's Point since 1971 whena green dragon was built there. However, in 2002 most of the dragon collapsed into the river and was nearly destroyed.[citation needed]
From 1945 until 1971,State Road 3 extended from Merritt Island to Melbourne over both Mathers Bridge and the Eau Gallie Causeway; after the opening of thePineda Causeway, SR 3 was removed from the Eau Gallie Causeway, andState Road 518 has been crossing the Intracoastal Waterway over it (and connecting withInterstate 95) since then.