Tag Archives: A. Max Brewer Bridge

Florida Travel Series~Titusville, Florida

6 Jun

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

I am a native of Florida. I love this state and have explored most of it. Florida is so diverse in landscapes and things to do and see. Many have not been discovered.

My next series will reveal some of the unknown beauty of my favorite places in Florida seen through  my camera lens.

I will start in my own back yard in Titusville Florida. There is so much to do here especially for nature lovers.

Follow this link to all the things this area has to offer http://nbbd.com/godo/

Titusville is a sleepy, quaint town, but is in the process of growth from the commercial space programs in development now at the Kennedy Space Center.

The Titusville community was originally called Sand Point.

 

 

Henry T. Titus arrived in 1867 with the intention to build a town on land owned by his wife, Mary Hopkins Titus, daughter of a prominent planter from Darien, Georgia.

 

A promenient feature of the area is the A. Max Brewer Bridge, a 65 feet fixed high-level span on SR-406 connecting Titusville to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore, opened on February 5, 2011 to replace the former swing bridge built in 1949.

Underneath the north side of the bridge is a catwalk, the Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier, for fishing and enjoyment of the Indian River Lagoon. It is known locally as the “World’s Longest Free Fishing Pier. Many a fish or shrimp dinner was caught here.

 

 

It is the gateway to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

 

 

The land was acquired by NASA in the early 1960s for the development of the Space Center and its non-operational purposes.

 

 

 

The refuge is a natural buffer for NASA and provides a range of habitats, from saltwater estuaries and freshwater impoundments and marshes, to dunes, hardwood hammocks, and scrub. It contains over 1000 species of plants, 117 species of fish, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 330 birds, and 31 mammal species. It is a haven for birders, photographers, fishermen and nature lovers.

 

The refuge provides hiking and driving trails for visitors, with opportunities for observing wildlife without causing disturbance. Some popular driving trails are Black Point Dr, Bio Lab Rd and Gator Rd.

 

Also within the Refuge is Playalinda Beach. A quiet beach loved by fisherman.

 

Stop by the visitors information center for maps, regulations and info. Located east on SR406 (Garden Street) just over Max Brewer Causeway Bridge on the right.

Next week we will explore Ponce Inlet.

 

This will be one of several stops along A1A north to St Augustine and beyond.

 

 

 

Melody

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.

A Very Special Bridge

13 Dec

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

I would like to share with you just one of many wonderful features of where I live in Brevard County Florida. This is our beautiful  –    A. MAX BREWER BRIDGE  –  gateway to paradise …Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
a-max-brewer-bridge
The A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville has won the nationwide People’s Choice Award presented by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
A. Max Brewer Bridge is a concrete bridge costing  $44.8 million to build.
Length of bridge: 3,207 feet
Height of bridge: 65 feet
Date constructed: May 15, 2009 through Jan 31, 2010
Next to the bridge is the Titusville Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier is known locally as the “World’s Longest Free Fishing Pier.” The Titusville Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier (recently renovated) dates back to the original bridge that spanned the Indian River Lagoon in the early 1900’s. The early structure was known as the “Walker Bridge,” named in honor of Mr. John R. Walker, a former postmaster who helped make construction of the bridge possible.
After crossing the bridge, The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located due east of Titusville on Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida, and occupies 140,000 acres, overlaid with the Kennedy Space Center. To the north, it borders on the Canaveral National Seashore; to the south it encompasses non-public portions of the Kennedy Space Center. Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River run through the refuge. Since public access to all these areas is controlled in various ways, the refuge is part of a very substantial area of relatively undisturbed wildlife habitat.
The refuge provides a range of habitats, from saltwater estuaries and freshwater impoundments and marshes, to dunes, hardwood hammocks, and scrub. It contains over 1000 species of plants, 117 species of fish, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 330 birds, and 31 mammal species. Of these species, 21 are listed as endangered either by the state of Florida or by the US federal government.
I am so fortunate to live close by.