Places > NASA Causeway Bridge | Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District 5

NASA Causeway Bridge | Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District 5

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Location
Florida | Brevard County

CONTACT

Nadia Locke, PE, LEED AP

D: 954.484.8500

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provided a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to evaluate improvement alternatives for the NASA Causeway Bridge. The existing bascule bridge is approximately 54 years old and consists of two separate structures approximately 2,993 feet long, accommodating eastbound and westbound traffic. The bridge is currently the only passage for space freight moving between the processing facilities in Titusville and the Kenedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Space Force Station launch pad. The bridge has failed safety inspections, and a key concern with the space freight is the carrying capacity of the bridge, as well as the horizontal and vertical navigational clearances, which are pivotal to the transportation of oversized freight, at times exceeding 40-60 feet in height above mean high water. The PD&E Study produced the required engineering, environmental, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation and clearances to proceed to the Design Phase. The PD&E and Design Phases were overlapped to condense the overall project construction schedule to address safety/functional concerns. 

RES’ staff conducted field evaluations, including seagrass/benthic surveys, collected and analyzed data for wetlands, protected species, and essential fish habitat, and prepared a Natural Resource Evaluation Report documenting potential impacts with each of the project alternatives. Work also included participation in public meetings and hearings. Both phases of the project required close coordination with NASA and federal and state regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the St. Johns River Water Management District. 

Highlights
  • Agency coordination included SJRWMD, FDEP, USFWS, USCG, NMFS, NASA, and Space Florida. ​
  • Seagrass surveys and evaluation of Essential Fish Habitat.  ​
  • Worked with design engineers to prioritize avoidance and minimization of seagrass impacts.​
  • Coordinated with NASA, SJRWMD, and NMFS to negotiate using an offsite mitigation project and excess water quality treatment to offset secondary impacts to seagrass habitat and wetland impacts.