Brevard County looking into SR-528 causeway replacement to help Banana River ecosystem

County eyes possible causeway replacement

A crucial causeway could be on the chopping block in Brevard County. A new study could look into the reconstruction or replacement of the State Road 528 causeway over the Banana River because of the severe pollution it’s causing.

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. - A crucial causeway could be on the chopping block in Brevard County.

A new study could look into the reconstruction or replacement of the State Road 528 causeway over the Banana River because of the severe pollution it’s causing. Experts contend that the causeway in particular is restricting the natural flow of water while trapping marine life and pollution.

"Causeways block circulation," said Virginia Barker who’s the director of Brevard County's Natural Resources division. She’s been working with several agencies, including Florida Tech and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to map the issues currently affecting the river.

While hundreds of vehicles use the causeway every day, it’s also killing the ecosystem it sits on.

"When you block off these currents with all of these causeways, you compartmentalize the lagoon into these little sections, and the water just spins around," Barker added.

The Brevard County Commission was scheduled to look into funding a $750,000 study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Jacksonville to replace the State Road 528 causeway, but the meeting was pushed back to next month, a spokesperson confirmed to FOX 35 News. They said they wanted to add more background to the agenda item and it was too late to make changes in time for Tuesday's meeting.

Data collected over the years shows the 528 and 520 causeways are doing the most harm to the waterways.

"The goal here is to improve water circulation, and by improving circulation, will improve water quality and water clarity, seagrass recovery," she said.

According to Barker, Volusia and Palm Beach counties mostly use bridges to connect the mainland with barrier islands, but not in Brevard County.

"They just dumped dirt in the lagoon to build a road on top, and it created all these little segments," said Barker.

She says that may have been the most cost-effective construction method years ago, but now the Marine Resources Council says we’re dealing with a waterway in distress.

"Every time that we dramatically alter the landscape, we have an impact on nature," said Jim Moir, who’s the interim executive director for the Marine Resources Council.

Moir says looking into new causeway construction is needed after losing wildlife and seeing algae blooms consume the river.

"I think it would be impossible to see thousands of manatees die and the loss of seagrass without understanding that humans are the reason," Moir concluded.

If the study is approved at next month's meeting, new results could come out in the next two years.