Fellsmere grade traffic to be rerouted during construction improvements
PALM BAY, Fla., March 31, 2016 — Anglers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts will encounter road construction as the St. Johns River Water Management District works to complete flood control safety improvements along a nearly one-mile stretch of the Fellsmere grade.
For the next several days,traffic will be rerouted along a parallel road as work crews wrap up construction of an emergency spillway as part of the Fellsmere Water Management Area, a project that will add 10,000 acres of restored wetlands to the headwaters of the St. Johns River.
The spillway is designed so that floodwater flows over the Fellsmere grade and into Canal 54 if the Fellsmere Water Management Area reaches full capacity during rare and extreme storm events. The Fellsmere grade is a seven-mile-long dirt road offering public access to popular fishing, hunting and hiking destinations in the Upper St. Johns River Basin.