In this aerial view, crews with Orion Marine Construction work to complete the westbound span of the Indian River Bridge while daily traffic moves along the upgraded eastbound lanes of the bridge leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The bridge crosses the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in nearby Titusville. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The new bridge spans replace a pair of two-lane drawbridges built in the mid-1960s to support NASA’s Apollo program. The first of the two new spans opened to the public ahead of schedule on June 9, 2023. In development for well over a decade, the load capacity, width, and grade of the bridge were designed to support the largest future payloads and vehicles at the spaceport while simultaneously supporting increased public traffic to and from Kennedy.

In this aerial view, crews with Orion Marine Construction work to complete the westbound span of the Indian River Bridge while daily traffic moves along the upgraded eastbound lanes of the bridge leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The bridge crosses the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in nearby Titusville. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The new bridge spans replace a pair of two-lane drawbridges built in the mid-1960s to support NASA’s Apollo program. The first of the two new spans opened to the public ahead of schedule on June 9, 2023. In development for well over a decade, the load capacity, width, and grade of the bridge were designed to support the largest future payloads and vehicles at the spaceport while simultaneously supporting increased public traffic to and from Kennedy.

In this aerial view, crews with Orion Marine Construction work to complete the westbound span of the Indian River Bridge while daily traffic moves along the upgraded eastbound lanes of the bridge leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The bridge crosses the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in nearby Titusville. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The new bridge spans replace a pair of two-lane drawbridges built in the mid-1960s to support NASA’s Apollo program. The first of the two new spans opened to the public ahead of schedule on June 9, 2023. In development for well over a decade, the load capacity, width, and grade of the bridge were designed to support the largest future payloads and vehicles at the spaceport while simultaneously supporting increased public traffic to and from Kennedy.

Cars drive over the newly completed westbound portion (right side of photo) of the NASA Causeway Bridge leading away from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened the span on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, alongside its twin on the eastbound side, which has accommodated traffic in both directions since FDOT opened it on June 9, 2023. The high-rise bridge spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects NASA Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in Titusville, replacing the two-lane drawbridge built in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A manatee swims in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two manatees swim in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A manatee swims in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A manatee swims in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two manatees swim in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two manatees swim in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A manatee swims in the water near the NASA Causeway Bridge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gentle sea cows prefer warmer inland waterways during the winter months. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA’s bridge engineering team at Kennedy Space Center is managing multiple critical projects on the Indian River Bridge. This includes running new utility lines and safeguarding the existing wires and piping prior to the beginning of construction of the new Brevard County bridge. The much-traveled structure is a key access and evacuation route for the Florida spaceport and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Also known as the NASA Causeway Bridge, the Indian River Bridge was built in 1964.

NASA’s bridge engineering team at Kennedy Space Center is managing multiple critical projects on the Indian River Bridge. This includes running new utility lines and safeguarding the existing wires and piping prior to the beginning of construction of the new Brevard County bridge. The much-traveled structure is a key access and evacuation route for the Florida spaceport and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Also known as the NASA Causeway Bridge, the Indian River Bridge was built in 1964.

NASA’s bridge engineering team at Kennedy Space Center is managing multiple critical projects on the Indian River Bridge. This includes running new utility lines and safeguarding the existing wires and piping prior to the beginning of construction of the new Brevard County bridge. The much-traveled structure is a key access and evacuation route for the Florida spaceport and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Also known as the NASA Causeway Bridge, the Indian River Bridge was built in 1964.

NASA’s bridge engineering team at Kennedy Space Center is managing multiple critical projects on the Indian River Bridge. This includes running new utility lines and safeguarding the existing wires and piping prior to the beginning of construction of the new Brevard County bridge. The much-traveled structure is a key access and evacuation route for the Florida spaceport and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Also known as the NASA Causeway Bridge, the Indian River Bridge was built in 1964.

Center Director Janet Petro joins partners and elected officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on a new NASA Causeway bridge over the Indian River leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida. The construction is made possible through a $90M Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant, which was awarded thanks to an extensive effort by NASA, the State of Florida – through Florida Department of Transportation and Space Florida – as well as support from industry partners, other local, state, and federal government agencies. The new bridge enables Kennedy’s growth as a multi-user spaceport and will allow NASA to better support the space industry. Construction is scheduled to take several years. To commemorate the day, speakers left a handprint and signed their name in cement.

Center Director Janet Petro joins partners and elected officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on a new NASA Causeway bridge over the Indian River leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida. The construction is made possible through a $90M Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant, which was awarded thanks to an extensive effort by NASA, the State of Florida – through Florida Department of Transportation and Space Florida – as well as support from industry partners, other local, state, and federal government agencies. The new bridge enables Kennedy’s growth as a multi-user spaceport and will allow NASA to better support the space industry. Construction is scheduled to take several years. To commemorate the day, speakers left a handprint and signed their name in cement.

Center Director Janet Petro joins partners and elected officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on a new NASA Causeway bridge over the Indian River leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida. The construction is made possible through a $90M Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant, which was awarded thanks to an extensive effort by NASA, the State of Florida – through Florida Department of Transportation and Space Florida – as well as support from industry partners, other local, state, and federal government agencies. The new bridge enables Kennedy’s growth as a multi-user spaceport and will allow NASA to better support the space industry. Construction is scheduled to take several years. To commemorate the day, speakers left a handprint and signed their name in cement.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building is seen from this view looking north across the inland waterway of the Banana River at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view to the right is the Mobile Launcher. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

From left, incoming KSC Director James W. Kennedy looks on as departing KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. shakes hands with the 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. J. Gregory Pavlovich. The occasion is the unveiling of the new sign on the NASA Causeway naming the bridge for Bridges who is leaving KSC to become the director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. The bridge spans the Banana River on the NASA Causeway and connects Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Incoming KSC Director James W. Kennedy (left) and departing KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. (center) view the new sign on the NASA Causeway naming the bridge for Bridges who is leaving KSC to become the director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. At right is the 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. J. Gregory Pavlovich. The bridge spans the Banana River on the NASA Causeway and connects Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A new sign is in place on the NASA Causeway naming the bridge for departing KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. Bridges is leaving KSC to become the director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. The bridge spans the Banana River on the NASA Causeway and connects Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

In view is the upgraded eastbound span of the Indian River Bridge leading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 9, 2023 to officially open the East part of the bridge. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The bridge spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in Titusville. This first section of the bridge replaces the two-lane drawbridge which was built in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo program.

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks during the grand opening ceremony for the upgraded eastbound span of the Indian River Bridge near Kennedy Space Center on June 9, 2023. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The bridge spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in Titusville. This first section of the bridge replaces the two-lane drawbridge which was built in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo program.

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks during the grand opening ceremony for the upgraded eastbound span of the Indian River Bridge near the center on June 9, 2023. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The bridge spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in Titusville. This first section of the bridge replaces the two-lane drawbridge which was built in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo program.

A ribbon cutting ceremony on the upgraded eastbound span of the Indian River Bridge is held on June 9, 2023 near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Florida Department of Transportation State Secretary Jared Perdue; Florida State House Representative Thad Altman; Florida State Senator Tom Wright; Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro; Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez (cutting the ribbon); Frank DiBello, Space Florida President/Chief Executive Officer; Florida State House Representative Tyler Sirois; and FDOT District Five Secretary John Tyler. The new high-rise bridge serves as the primary entrance and exit to the space center for employees and visitors. The bridge spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects Kennedy and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland via State Road 405/NASA Causeway in Titusville. This first section of the bridge replaces the two-lane drawbridge which was built in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Pegasus barge is pulled through the bridge at the NASA Causeway. The barge is carrying the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, toward NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tank traveled 900 miles by sea from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. After reaching the Turn Basin at Kennedy, the tank will be offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it eventually will be attached to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. STS-134, targeted to launch in Feb. 2011, currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the Space Shuttle Program. The tank, which is the largest element of the space shuttle stack, was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and restored to flight configuration by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company employees. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Ed Gormel (left), executive director of Spaceport Florida Authority, and Roy Bridges Jr., Center Director, get ready to sign a SERPL Real Property Use Permit Agreement between the two organizations to construct a three-mile roadway. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The signing took place outdoors on S.R. 3 prior to a groundbreaking ceremony for the roadway. The road, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. The SERPL project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. addresses attendees at a groundbreaking ceremony held on S.R. 3. The groundbreaking is for a roadway, to be known as Space Commerce Way, that will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. Among the participants and guests seated under the tent are (in front row, at right) Florida’s Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and Congressman Dave Weldon. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. addresses attendees at a groundbreaking ceremony held on S.R. 3. The groundbreaking is for a roadway, to be known as Space Commerce Way, that will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research & Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. Among the participants and guests seated under the tent are (in front row, at right) Florida’s Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and Congressman Dave Weldon. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

Ed Gormel (left), executive director of Spaceport Florida Authority, and Roy Bridges Jr., Center Director, get ready to sign a SERPL Real Property Use Permit Agreement between the two organizations to construct a three-mile roadway. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research & Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The signing took place outdoors on S.R. 3 prior to a groundbreaking ceremony for the roadway. The road, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. The SERPL project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

During a signing ceremony, Ed Gormel (left), executive director of Spaceport Florida Authority, and Roy Bridges Jr., Center Director, respond to a remark from the audience. The two are signing a SERPL Real Property Use Permit Agreement between the two organizations to construct a three-mile roadway. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research & Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The signing took place outdoors on S.R. 3 prior to a groundbreaking ceremony for the roadway. The road, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. The SERPL project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

During a signing ceremony, Ed Gormel (left), executive director of Spaceport Florida Authority, and Roy Bridges Jr., Center Director, respond to a remark from the audience. The two are signing a SERPL Real Property Use Permit Agreement between the two organizations to construct a three-mile roadway. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The signing took place outdoors on S.R. 3 prior to a groundbreaking ceremony for the roadway. The road, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. The SERPL project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

Four hundred bridges cross the labyrinth of canals that form the 120 islands of Venice, situated in a saltwater lagoon between the mouths of the Po and Piave rivers in northeast Italy. All traffic in the city moves by boat. Venice is connected to the mainland, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away, by ferries as well as a causeway for road and rail traffic. The Grand Canal winds through the city for about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles), dividing it into two nearly equal sections. According to tradition, Venice was founded in 452, when the inhabitants of Aquileia, Padua, and several other northern Italian cities took refuge on the islands of the lagoon from the Teutonic tribes invading Italy at that time. This image was acquired on December 9, 2001 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03860

At a groundbreaking ceremony, participants and guests toss their shovelfuls of dirt, signifying the start of construction on a new roadway through KSC. From left are Dr. Pamella J. Dana, from the executive office of Florida’s governor, Jeb Bush; Deputy Associate Administrator Michael Hawes, NASA; Sen. George Kirkpatrick; Spaceport Florida Authority Executive Director Ed Gormel; Executive Director Dr. Samuel T. Durrance, Florida Space Research Institute; Florida’s Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan; Congressman Dave Weldon; Center Director Roy Bridges Jr.; SFA SERPL Program Manager Debra Holliday; KSC SERPL Program Manager Jan Heuser; District Manager Cheryl Harrison-Lee, Florida Department of Transportation; State Senator Jim Sebesta; and KSC Director JoAnn H. Morgan, External Relations and Business Development The roadway, to be known as Space Commerce Way, will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). Considered a magnet facility, the laboratory will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research.. The project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers