A. Max Brewer Causeway Restoration Project

For those of you who have been wondering about the huge triangular shaped concrete objects along the road and the work that is being done along the A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway causeway in Titusville; here is a brief synopsis. 

Since I relocated to Titusville over 30 years ago, the wave action from tropical storms and hurricanes in the Indian River Lagoon has been steadily eroding the shoreline acreage along the dike roads and the causeways, particularly during tropical storms and hurricanes. 

Peacocks Pocket Road and several other "dike" roads used to be a great drive for bank fishermen before the hurricanes washed them out making them unsafe for vehicle traffic. 

Finally the erosion along the causeway is being addressed by the powers that be. 

DRMP engineers of Gainesville designed the $4.2 million project that is being built by the aquatic restoration firm Sea & Shoreline. 

The project involves removing the rip-rap rocks along the shoreline and installing approximately 2,000 feet of large pyramid shaped concrete structures called Wave Attenuation Devices or WADs. 

The WADS are are now being located about 400 feet off the shoreline to break up the waves before they hit the causeway and will be visible about a foot and a half above the water at high water levels. 

They are expected to absorb the wave energy generated during hurricanes and tropical storms, and should promote the accumulation of sediment. 

The hollow pyramid shaped concrete WADs are being installed with enough space for manatees and dolphin to swim through and will have navigational lights for boater safety.    

After the concrete WAD installation has been completed, the project includes the restoration of approximately 4,150 cubic yards of sandy material along the existing shoreline along with the planting of new palm and mangrove trees, the planting of approximately four acres of seagrass, and the seeding of one million clams to filter and purify the water in the lagoon. 

After completion, which is expected to be in the spring of next year, the project will be monitored for a three year period to see how well the WADs, seagrass planting, and clam seeding have affected the area. 

Seagrass is the underwater rainforest habitat that provides the diversified underwater nursery for fish, shrimp, mollusks, and crustaceans in our lagoon system. 

We sincerely hope the project works as projected. 

Till next time, Tight Lines.