$90 M to IMPROVE SPACE COAST Infrastructure

July 29, 2019 — Space Florida, the aerospace economic development agency headquartered on the Space Coast, will receive $90 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program. The funds will replace the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Indian River Bridge with new twin high-level bridges, widen 2.7 miles of Space Commerce Way and rehabilitate 3.7 miles of NASA Parkway West.

“This significant federal investment is part of an overall program to repair and restore America’s bridges and highways to enhance safety and economic growth,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.

Sen. Marco Rubio said replacing the bridge is “critical” to supporting future mission launch schedules on the Space Coast. “We cannot achieve our greatest aspirations in space without first providing the necessary infrastructure to ensure that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral can accommodate our booming space economy.”

Nearby at Exploration Park, Blue Origin recently announced expansion plans for building its New Glenn rocket and OneWeb Satellites recently opened the world’s first high-volume satellite production facility.

Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello added that his agency now can “look forward to a new more robust transportation infrastructure to support Florida’s dominant position in the commercial space marketplace.”

Source: Jacksonville Business Journal