The St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal was a planned
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
in the state of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, "River Canal Project Gets $27.5 Million Tag As Plans Grow" ''
Daytona Beach Morning Journal
''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' is a Florida daily newspaper serving Volusia and Flagler Counties.
It grew from the ''Halifax Journal'', which was started in 1883. The Davidson family purchased the newspaper in 1928 and retained control unti ...
'', 24 June 1968 in length and linking the
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...
and the Indian River south of Oak Hill"Propose New Canal Route To Save Shad" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 18 June 1966 with the
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
, originally intended to be just south of
Lake Harney
Lake Harney, named for General William S. Harney, is a lake that straddles the county line between Volusia County and Seminole County, Florida, at the coordinates latitude 28°45’21.404", longitude 81° 03’36.019". It is fed by the Saint Jo ...
,"Volusia Route Approved For Barge Canal" ''
Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal
''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' is a Florida daily newspaper serving Volusia and Flagler Counties.
It grew from the ''Halifax Journal'', which was started in 1883. The Davidson family purchased the newspaper in 1928 and retained control unti ...
'', 7 March 1964 but later shifted to be near Lake Monroe,"Proposed River Barge Canal Route Okayed" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal, 23 May 1964 with all but three miles of the route within
Volusia County
Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...
. However, by 1968 the more southerly Lake Harney alignment had returned to favor."Joins Three Counties In Canal Dist." ''Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal'', 2 December 1968
Originally proposed in the 1850s,"Disston Purchase One Heck Of a Deal" ''
Lakeland Ledger
''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area.
The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland Star-Telegram' ...
'', 18 October 1999 then again in 1909"St. Johns-Indian River Canal Is Discussed" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 21 Aug 1946 and in the late 1930s,"The State Of Affairs" ''
The Miami News
''The Miami News'' was an evening newspaper in Miami, Florida. It was the media market competitor to the morning edition of the ''Miami Herald'' for most of the 20th century. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called ''The Miami ...
'', 19 January 1935"State News Briefs" ''The Miami News'', 16 February 1939 the St. Johns-Indian River Canal Authority was established in 1960."Corps' Canal Study Comes Under Fire" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 22 October 1971 The canal would have been wide and deep,"Plans Laid for River Canal" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 9 November 1966 with three high-level and one
bascule
Bascule may refer to:
* Bascule bridge, a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span in providing clearance for boat traffic
* Bascule (horse), the arc a horse's body takes as it goes over a jump
* Bascule light, a sma ...
highway bridges, two bascule railroad bridges, two locks measuring by , two navigation dams wide, and a pumping station.
Combined with the
Cross Florida Barge Canal
The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a protected green belt corridor, more than one and a half miles (1.6 km) wide in places, that was the former route of the proposed Cross Florida Barge Canal. It is named for the leader o ...
, the canal would have provided a shipping route across the Florida peninsula between the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
;"Need For Canal Is Stressed" ''
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''.
History
The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by Halifax Media ...
'', 21 September 1963 construction was planned to begin in 1968, with the canal to open in 1971, however construction never began as delays to the Cross Florida Barge Canal project mounted, with the projected
groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...
pushed back first to 1970,"Canal Start Date Pushed By Agencies" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 26 Mar 1969 then further, with conservation issues dogging the project"He Enjoyed Serving On Canal Dist." ''Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal'', 9 May 1971 especially with regard to spawning
.
After the suspension of work on the Cross Florida Barge Canal, the St. Johns-Indian River canal concept was abandoned, and the Canal Authority was dissolved in 1973."St. Johns-Indian River Canal Kaput" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 19 October 1973"Canal District Gets New President" ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', 4 December 1973