PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation has hit pause on moving forward with a plan to replace the State Road 401 drawbridges in the Port Canaveral area, after concerns were raised by space launch companies and Florida Rep. Thad Altman, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
That, in turn, could hold up plans to widen State Road 528 between State Road 3 and the port.
Some in space industry worry that the fixed-span bridges planned to replace the drawbridges won’t be high enough to allow barges carrying rocket parts to pass under.
The DOT is in the design phase of the S.R. 528 widening and the S.R. 401 bridge replacement projects, with no specific projections for the timelines of the project.
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It initially had designated the high-level fixed bridge as its “preferred alternative,” saying it would “address access, future mobility, congestion and safety needs of the area, and result in the least physical, natural and social effects.”
Potential delays in the long-awaited projects don’t sit well with Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray and the elected port commissioners, who support the S.R. 528 widening, as well as replacing the S.R. 401 drawbridge with a fixed-span bridge, as ways to help alleviate traffic congestion in the area near the port.
Increased port cruise passenger traffic, as well as cargo-related truck and fuel tanker traffic, contribute to the congestion along S.R. 528, as does general tourist traffic and personnel commuting to and from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Additionally, the frequent raising of the three S.R. 401 drawbridges to allow boats to pass underneath exacerbates the traffic tie-ups in the area. That can back up vehicle traffic going to and from the port , potentially for 10 minutes or more.
Because the bridge has a clearance of only 25 feet, the drawbridges have to be raised for some sailboats and fishing boats.
Murray said the drawbridges open an average of about 180 times a month, including about 25 times on an average weekend, when boating traffic is heavier.
The drawbridges are part of the route cruise passengers take to and from the port’s north-side cruise terminals.
“It’s a huge issue to our community,” Murray said. “We need this bridge replaced and we need 528 expanded.”
But Altman supports putting the brakes on the bridge replacement so the DOT can get more input from the space industry about its future needs ― including whether a drawbridge would be better to accommodate potential future transport of rocket parts under the bridge.
Altman said he has had discussions with DOT officials, U.S. Space Force, NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin on this matter, and agrees that the best course of action is for the DOT to study the issue more, even if it means delaying the project.
“It’s better to do it right, rather than find out later” that the approach that was chosen was wrong, said Altman, who also is executive director/chief executive officer of The Astronauts Memorial Foundation. “We have to strike a balance to meet all the needs of the different users.”
Altman said there’s considerable complexity for the DOT to consider in this project, and “it’s a good thing they are taking a look at all of the options. I think it’s an absolute necessity. This is the way it should be done ― solve all the problems and don’t create new ones.”
Georganna Gillette, executive director of the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization, said the S.R. 528 widening and the S.R. 401 bridge replacement projects are two of her agency’s highest priorities.
She said the bridge is “definitely a weak link,” considering how vital that area is for tourism, commuting and commerce. Port Canaveral now is the world’s busiest cruise port, and many cruise passengers drive their own vehicles to and from the port.
Murray terms the bridge a potential “single point of failure for Port Canaveral’s entire north-side operations,” and says the DOT putting this project and the State Road 528 widening on hold is “concerning.”
Murray has noted that the aging drawbridge structures that date back to 1963 and 1972 could malfunction, cutting off access to the north side of the port.
In addition to the port cruise and cargo facilities, the DOT noted that the bridges serve as a primary access to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the Naval Ordnance Test Unit, U.S. Coast Guard facilities and Space Florida operations. S.R. 401 also is designated by the U.S. Department of Defense as a “strategic highway network connector.”
The DOT estimates the construction cost of the 5.1-mile-long S.R. 528 widening from four to six lanes, including the related reconstruction of three interchanges, at $329 million, with an additional $10.2 million for design work and $1.2 million for right-of-way work.
Gillette said construction of a fixed-span bridge to replace the drawbridges at S.R. 401 would cost about $129 million.
She said the S.R. 528 widening likely would not move forward without a final decision on the design for the new S.R. 401 bridge.
Gillette said neither project has its construction costs set aside in Florida DOT budgets, so construction timelines are uncertain, even without the latest delay for more study.
Gillette said she is worried about the lack of funding and the lack of a decision on the bridge, considering how competitive it is to secure road project funding.
Murray says he doesn’t understand the reasoning for the space companies to want a drawbridge at the S.R. 401 site, since any large cargo being transported by ship or barge east from the port and under the bridge would then have to sail through the Canaveral Lock area. He said the Canaveral Lock is 90 feed wide and 12 feet deep with a hard concrete bottom, and is not wide enough or deep enough for such vessels. For example, a vessel SpaceX uses for booster transport is 150 feet wide.
Florida Today on Tuesday requested comments from officials at SpaceX and Blue Origin, but did not receive responses by midday Wednesday. The Space Force, meanwhile, said it was looking into the issue.
Florida Today Space Editor Emre Kelly contributed to this report.
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