Merritt Island Causeway

Merritt Island Causeway
The Hubert H. Humphrey Bridge connects Merritt Island and Cocoa.
Locale	Merritt Island
History
Opened	June 5, 1941
Replaces	Wooden bridge
Cocoa - Merritt Island - Cocoa Beach current and former road alignments

The Merritt Island Causeway, mostly in Merritt Island, connects Cocoa, Merritt Island, Florida, and Cocoa Beach, Florida. The causeway transits the Willard Peebles bridge over the Banana River Lagoon. In the 1960s, SR A1A was routed over the eastern causeway from present day SR 520 and SR A1A, to the present day intersection of SR 520 and SR 3 on Merritt Island. The eastern section is known as the Cocoa Beach Causeway.

On May 1, 1917, the first, wooden, bridge opened between Cocoa, Florida, and Merritt Island, Florida, across the Indian River. Soon after this bridge was built, two ideas for a new bridge connecting Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach over the Banana River began circulating.

On September 27, 1919, the first route was approved. The bridge was completed April 19, 1922, after running into financial problems and costing an additional $200,000.

The present day alignment, from west to east, based upon this description

The narrow lane draw bridge crossed the Banana River near Old Causeway Road on Horti Point. The present day Minuteman Causeway Boulevard in Cocoa Beach, and Old Causeway Road in Angel City are the remaining ends of the Merritt Island Causeway. The bridge system composed of the Indian River Bridge and the Banana River Bridge lasted another 18 years, when growth caught up with the bridge system.

On June 5, 1941, the present day alignment of SR 520 opened with a single wider lane in each direction. Two draw bridges, one on each river, and a few relief bridges made up the causeway. The original wooden bridges were torn up shortly afterwards. Today, the name Banana River Bridge refers to the eastern causeway of the Emory L. Bennett Causeway, a part of SR 528.