The St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal was a planned canal in the state of Florida, 35.2 miles (56.6 km)[1] in length and linking the Intracoastal Waterway and the Indian River 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Oak Hill[2] with the St. Johns River, originally intended to be just south of Lake Harney,[3] but later shifted to be near Lake Monroe,[4] with all but three miles of the route within Volusia County.
[2] However, by 1968 the more southerly Lake Harney alignment had returned to favor.
[5] Originally proposed in the 1850s,[6] then again in 1909[7] and in the late 1930s,[8][9] the St. Johns-Indian River Canal Authority was established in 1960.
[1] Combined with the Cross Florida Barge Canal, the canal would have provided a shipping route across the Florida peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico;[12] construction was planned to begin in 1968, with the canal to open in 1971,[11] however construction never began as delays to the Cross Florida Barge Canal project mounted, with the projected groundbreaking pushed back first to 1970,[13] then further, with conservation issues dogging the project[14] especially with regard to spawning shad.
[2][5] 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.