The weight of a tractor on a bridge caused a culvert to collapse in Titusville, shutting down Windover Way Monday.

The county said the culvert was built in the '70s and had gotten rusty and gave way on Monday.

The hole is about six to seven feet deep and stretches across both lanes of Windover Way, which is closed from Doe Court to Canal Ridge Drive.

David Dandurand, who works for the Brevard County Public Works Department, was driving along Windover Way, mowing grass on the side of the road when suddenly the earth beneath him gave way.

"Here I go, I'm on a ride. That's all I could do is ride it down," he said.

It happened as his mower was still cutting grass.

"As soon as I felt it, I turned that off. That's the first thing I did, emergency kill," said Dandurand.

He's thankful the road collapsed when it did.

"Better me than a school bus. That would have been bad news if it was a school bus, or someone going over with a camper," he said.

Dandurand was not injured. His mower was also undamaged.

A supervisor with the Brevard County Public Works Department said there are periodic inspections of culverts, but the Addison Cannal is always so full, it is hard to get a good look at the conditions.

People who live in the area are now going to have a longer drive to get to Highway 50.

It is going to take at least a week to rebuild the roadway. The repairs could cost around $250,000.