NASA Parkway, also known as NASA Causeway, is an east-west
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
in
Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Ti ...
, containing two causeways. The first causeway connects the Florida
mainland
Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...
to
Merritt Island
Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...
and later, over the private second causeway, connects Merritt Island to
Cape Canaveral
, image = cape canaveral.jpg
, image_size = 300
, caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991
, map = Florida#USA
, map_width = 300
, type =Cape
, map_caption = Location in Florida
, location ...
. As such, the NASA Parkway is the main route connecting points of interest in
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in eastern Florida and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 43,761 as of the 2010 United States Census.
Titusville is located along the Indian River (Florida), Indian River, west ...
to the
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
on Merritt Island.
Route description
First causeway
The first causeway begins on the mainland when Columbia Boulevard crosses U.S. Route 1 in Titusville and experiences a name change. This is also the terminus of
State Road 405. Continuing eastward, NASA Causeway crosses the
Indian River Lagoon
The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4,300 ...
. A
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
permits boats on the
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...
to pass through the causeway.
NASA Parkway West
Continuing eastward, approximately , it enters the
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the Atlantic coast of Florida's largest barrier island. NASA's Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex are also situated on the island and NASA can restrict acc ...
and the
John F. Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field ...
. About in, the road reaches an intersection with Space Commerce Way. The majority of traffic on NASA Parkway turns here, as the main entrance to the Kennedy Space Center is located down this road. At this point, the
Merritt Island
Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
is at its widest and about wide.
East of Space Commerce Way, the Parkway passes the former main gate of the
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus tour ...
. The general public is not permitted beyond this point. Approximately east of the Visitor Complex, a NASA security gate permits access to authorized tour buses and
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
staff and supply vehicles only. Immediately east of the gate, the Parkway contains a
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
with Courtenay Parkway, the division line between the western and eastern portions of the Parkway.
Tour buses access the
Vehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building (originally the Vertical Assembly Building), or VAB, is a large building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), designed to assemble large pre-manufactured space vehicle components, such as the massive Saturn V and th ...
, the Saturn V Center and the Space Shuttle landing strip by journeying north from this point on Kennedy Parkway.
NASA Parkway East
The eastern section of the NASA Parkway begins at its intersection with Courtenay Parkway
[sometimes erroneously known as State Road or County Road 3 when in fact those routes terminate much further south than this intersection] in the former town of Orsino, Florida. Traveling east, it passes an area of support buildings and offices. At the end of this area, it reduces from four lanes to two and crosses the
Banana River
The Banana River is a lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only p ...
as a two-lane causeway with a
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
.
Second causeway
The causeway over the Banana River is less known than the first causeway, as it is not accessible to the general public. The main use of the causeway is for military personnel to access the mainland, as the route leads from Merritt Island to
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the station ...
.
The NASA Parkway designation ends shortly after the NASA Causeway's eastern end, where the parkway terminates at the
Samuel C Philips Parkway
Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...
. From this point, authorized users can access the point of
Cape Canaveral
, image = cape canaveral.jpg
, image_size = 300
, caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991
, map = Florida#USA
, map_width = 300
, type =Cape
, map_caption = Location in Florida
, location ...
via Central Control Road. The
Cape Canaveral Light
The Cape Canaveral Light is a historic lighthouse on the east coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The light was established in 1848 to warn ships of the dangerous shoals that lie off its coast. It is located inside the Cape Canaveral Space Force ...
is visible, and, via Lighthouse Road, authorized users can access
Launch Complex 46.
Alternatives
While the NASA Parkway is the principal access route for tourists from Titusville and points west (such as
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
), visitors from points to the south, such as
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,539 at the 2018 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The first non-native s ...
need not to use NASA Parkway West to cross the Indian River. Instead, they may approach the Kennedy Space Center from the south on Florida State Route 3, which terminates at the Kennedy Space Center property line. Diverted by a security gate, the general public must make a left on Space Commerce Way and directly access the Visitor Complex from the main gate.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasa Causeway
Causeways in Florida
Bridges in Brevard County, Florida
Bridges over the Indian River (Florida)
Indian River Lagoon
Kennedy Space Center
Road bridges in Florida
Roads in Brevard County, Florida
Bascule bridges in the United States