Port Canaveral, space leaders on different timelines with S.R. 401 and S.R. 528 updates
Port Canaveral projects come to a halt
Two crucial infrastructure projects have been stopped in their tracks by FDOT as port leaders want to surge ahead while the space industry is concerned about the long-term impact.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - A battle is brewing over paused projects at Port Canaveral.
Two crucial infrastructure projects have been stopped in their tracks by FDOT as port leaders want to surge ahead while the space industry is concerned about the long-term impact. The port CEO says widening S.R. 528 and re-doing the S.R. 401 drawbridge have been in the works for years until last week when FDOT put everything on hold.
One of the port’s big concerns is congestion when the drawbridge goes up because traffic backs up, and the CEO says the bridge hasn’t been up to par in years.
"There’s a lot of opportunity for it to fail, and it’s time for replacement," said John Murray. "It’s been deemed obsolete by the department, and we’ve been on a roll to get a new bridge."
The roll they’ve been on is coming to a halt after public meetings and discussions to replace the drawbridge with a new bridge design.
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"You don’t build highways overnight," he said. "It takes years to get them done, and having a project on pause means nothing is moving forward. That is a very bad situation."
Rep. Thad Altman sees a pause as progress.
"They want to do it right. You need to listen to all your stakeholders," Altman said. He’s served on numerous space industry boards and supports holding off on design plans in favor of more information on the impact.
Altman doesn’t want to rush the process because he says it could have a negative impact on the space industry. If the bridge they build isn’t tall enough, rockets won’t fit under it.
He also doesn’t know why the port is sounding the alarm if the projects aren’t funded.
"I have no idea where they’re coming from. I think their concerns are way way off base and kind of insensitive to the community around them," Altman added.
With the bridge design under review, that means widening the 528 is also on pause with no timeline for moving forward.
"That’s the main artery into the Space Coast, and we’ve been after the department – working cooperatively with them for years to open that up to wider access," Murray concluded.
FOX 35 did reach out to NASA, Space X and Blue Origin for comment on concerns they have with design updates to the bridge, but at this time we haven’t heard back.
As for what’s next, port commissioners approved a motion at Wednesday’s meeting to send a letter to FDOT voicing their concerns with delays they didn’t see coming.