The perennial 17th Street Bridge repair project, which has been underway for many years now, will enter a new phase this month, as contractors reconfigure traffic flow over the span.

As part of that process, the 1970s era bridge will be completely closed in both directions for at least five days, from 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, through 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17. If needed work is not completed during that timeframe, FDOT has contingency plans to reclose the bridge for another five days, from Sunday, April 19, to Friday, April 24, as needed.

All of this will take place while Vero’s busy winter/spring season is still in full swing, with locals commuting to and from work and cars full of tourists, towels and beach umbrellas headed to the island shore.

Average daily traffic on the 17th Street Bridge is 22,000 vehicles, according to the Florida Department of Transportation – the organization that decided to shut down one of the two bridges that link island Vero to mainland Vero during season.

With the bridge closed, all that traffic will be diverted to the Merrill P. Barber Bridge two miles north, which already handles 20,500 vehicles daily on average, more during winter and spring.

That means more than 42,000 cars and trucks driven by contractors, hospitality workers, businesspeople, delivery services, kids on dates, and beachgoers will have to crowd onto the northern span each day.

For residents coming from the Moorings and other south island neighborhoods to pick up groceries at Publix on U.S. 1 at 12th Street, the closure will mean a 4- to 5-mile detour each way. Even if shoppers decide to stop at Publix on Miracle Mile, it will be an extra 2 miles each way on overcrowded roads.

An average of 33,000 vehicles use Indian River Boulevard each day at the mainland end of the Barber Bridge, so there will be plenty of backed up traffic inching forward in all directions.

 Vero Beach Police Chief Currey says his department will be ready to do what they can to manage traffic. “We’re going to do our best to monitor that, as we have in the past. We have three officers specifically dedicated to traffic plus regular patrol. If there is any issue, we’ll address it.”

When the 17th Street Bridge reopens on April 18 – hopefully – traffic will use the outside lanes in both directions while workers concentrate their efforts on the inner two lanes.

Begun in 1977 and completed in 1979, the 17th Street Bridge was nearing the end of its projected life when problems were detected. The structure was found to be in critical condition in 2018 and deemed structurally deficient in 2020.

A series of construction projects has obstructed the bridge to greater or lesser degrees most of the time since then.

FDOT now says the project will be done this fall or early next year.