The total closure of the 17th Street bridge, one of two main arteries connecting the barrier island to the mainland in Vero Beach, caused big traffic tie-ups and delays Monday morning at the start of the week-long project.
All traffic that normally takes the 17th Street Bridge between the southern part of the island and the mainland was diverted to the Merrill P. Barber bridge and traffic on the northbound lanes of Indian River Boulevard to get to the Barber bridge was bumper-to-bumper.
Motorists trying to get onto the northbound lanes of Indian River Boulevard from Miracle Mile or State Route 60 often had to wait two or three green traffic light cycles before they could make the turn to avoid total gridlock at the intersections during the morning rush hour…