KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Growth in the commercial space industry is requiring the state to increase the capacity of a popular road at the Kennedy Space Center.

What You Need To Know

  • FDOT and Space Florida are widening Space Commerce Way from NASA Causeway to State Road 3

  • Extra lanes will help with traffic from Exploration Park, Blue Origin and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

  • Work begins this summer and should wrap up in 2024 or 2025

Work begins this month to widen Space Commerce Way between NASA Causeway and State Road 3.

“It’s manageable, but it’s becoming increasingly problematic and our goal is to stay ahead of just crushing traffic,” said Dale Ketcham from Space Florida.

Ketcham says Space Florida and FDOT are working together on the 22.9 million dollar project.

“This will support future growth and economic vitality by allowing the transportation of oversized space industry vehicles to launch sites, as well as regular public and commercial traffic between the mainland near Titusville and North Merritt Island,” said Cindi Lane, spokeswoman for FDOT.

Widening Space Commerce Way to four lanes will help aerospace companies at Exploration Park and Blue Origin.

“It will additionally have an impact on the ease of access for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to get to the launch pad,” said Ketcham.

It will also help the growth at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which moved its entrance to Space Commerce Way.

“We’re very excited about the road that’s going to be widening here because we’re going to need it with the infrastructure (growth),” said Therrin Protze, chief operating officer at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Ketcham hopes construction is wrapped up in 2024, while Lane is targeting 2025.

The project comes just as FDOT recently opened one of the two new high rise fixed bridges on the NASA Causeway.

The second bridge is expected to open in early 2026.

They replaced a 1964 drawbridge over the Indian River Lagoon.