New Smyrna Beach, FL - The Volusia County Council breaks ground on the new Mike Eader Turnbull Bay Bridge in New Smyrna Beach on August 7, and the bridge will be closed to traffic from 8-10:30 AM during the groundbreaking.
The old Turnbull Bay Bridge, built in 1967, has been named "structurally deficient" by the state for the past six years, and has required frequent repairs. In 2011, the state deemed one of the support beams "at risk for imminent failure," and it was closed for 20 days while the County and the City of New Smyrna Beach repaired it for a cost of $114,400.
The new bridge, on Turnbull Bay Rd. in New Smyrna Beach, will be 440 feet longer and 20 feet wider. It will extend over the East Causeway and feature two 11-foot-wide travel lanes, 6-foot-wide sidewalks on each side, and 8-foot-wide safety shoulders with traffic barriers, according to a release put out by the County. Detour signs will be in place during the groundbreaking.
"Throughout construction, we're going to keep the bridge open. We'll have at least one lane open at all times because this is an important connection for the folks who live at Turnbull Bay Bridge Estates and nearby and the rest of New Smyrna Beach," says Pat Kuehn, Community Information Specialist for Volusia County.
Leware Construction of Florida is the project contractor. The $7.9 million project is being funded by the federal government and is scheduled for completion in December 2018.
The new bridge will be named after the late Mike Eader, a New Smyrna Beach resident who encouraged the county to keep the old bridge open during construction of the new bridge.
Photo of the bridge courtesy Volusia County Community Information
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