Take your typical Monday morning rush hour through north central Brevard County, with school buses and work commuters backing off at busy intersections.
Add around 40,000 people boarding and disembarking from five major cruise ships due to leave Port Canaveral on Monday.
Then, throw in a teeming crowd of 100,000 to 500,000 spectators, most trying to maneuver as close to the beach and Indian River lagoon as possible to watch NASA broadcasts. Historic Artemis I lunar launch soars skyward. This is the first uncrewed test flight planned in the Artemis program.
“Think safety first. Watch out for pedestrians, as many people will be crossing roads on foot. And think about delays,” Brevard County communications director Don Walker said.
“If you’re going to be stuck in traffic for two or three hours, you’re going to want water. You are going to want to have some food with you. So think about what you need to be prepared for, in case you get stuck in a long line of traffic and you don’t move,” Walker said.
“And it’s August. It’s going to be hot,” he said.
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When is Artemis I launching?
Artemis I’s two-hour launch window opens at 8:33 a.m. Monday. The 322-foot space launch system with uncrewed Orion capsule is set to make its first launch from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center and embark on a 42-day mission.
Walker said tourism and space officials estimate 100,000 to 500,000 visitors could enter the county for the launch. Officials will activate the Brevard County Emergency Operations Center in Rockledge at 4 a.m., 2.5 hours earlier than the typical two-hour activation preceding a rocket launch.
“We anticipate you’re going to start seeing an unusual number of cars on the road from 2 a.m.,” Walker said of Monday morning.
“There will be traffic jams in some areas. There will be full parking lots. There are going to be a lot of people on the beach, especially from the middle to the north of the county,” he said.
“So be prepared for delays – and leave early. The earlier you can leave, the better,” he said.
When to expect traffic delays from Artemis I launch
The heaviest traffic jams are expected between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Monday, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization reported. The agency shares key post-launch traffic tips for this “epic event”:
- At Cocoa Beach, no left turns will be permitted between northbound State Road A1A and westbound State Road 520.
- In Titusville, all lanes of the A. Max Brewer Bridge will be closed immediately after launch for approximately one hour, allowing for heavy foot traffic.
After the launch, police will direct motorists in Titusville near the bridge to head north on Harrison Street or west on Garden Street. All spectators north of Harrison Street will be directed north on State Road 46.
After a Thursday morning meeting with law enforcement officials, the FDOT announced that U-turns will be banned on State Road 528 and George King Boulevard in Port Canaveral, spokesman David Parks said.
Brevard Public Schools communications officers at the COU will deliver traffic updates to parents as the morning progresses, said district spokesperson Russell Bruhn.
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BPS will modify bus routes as necessary and issue district-wide notifications to parents via email, bus bulletin notifications and updates posted on the neighborhood Facebook page.
The Cocoa Beach Police Department will monitor traffic lights and traffic in the city.
“Residents should plan accordingly and stay off the roads if possible to avoid getting stuck in this congestion,” Cocoa Beach City Hall officials said on Facebook last week.
Port Canaveral is bracing for an influx of launch-goers at Jetty Park for Monday’s scheduled launch – as well as a private Lockheed Martin launch viewing party on the Exploration Tower lawn that could draw 3,000 people .
Cruise ships docking during the launch of Artemis I
The launch is also scheduled for a day when five major cruise ships are in port – the Carnival Freedom and Liberty, the Disney Wish and the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.
A total of about 40,000 people will embark or disembark from these vessels that day, according to Peter Bergeron, the port’s senior director of public safety.
Bergeron also expects heavy truck traffic related to cargo that day at the port.
“Doing this will take an all-out effort from our cruise partners and all Canaveral Port Authority staff,” Bergeron said.
Port Canaveral general manager John Murray said: “We have worked with state and local law enforcement agencies and are coordinating with our cruise partners to ensure our focus remains on safety and security. safety of all port users. In summary, this launch day will be very busy with a much higher volume of traffic on the roads in and around Port Canaveral. Best advice to anyone planning to be in Port Canaveral that day, please allow extra time.”
Jetty Park will open at 5 a.m. on launch day and close to newcomers when capacity is reached. Parking is limited to e-pass holders. Parking passes must be purchased in advance. No cash or credit card transactions are allowed at the entrance desk. Pedestrians or cyclists will be allowed to enter the park until capacity is reached.
Parking in the Cove area of the port will be restricted to customers and employees of businesses in the Cove area. Lots will close when maximum vehicle capacity is reached.
Parking in cruise parking garages and surface lots will be reserved for cruise passengers.
The Freddie Patrick Boat Ramps and Rodney S. Ketcham Park Boat Ramps parking ramps at the harbor will be open and available to boaters on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. The boat ramp parking lots are exclusively reserved for boaters and trailers using the boat ramps.
There will be no parking or boat launches along State Road 401, George King Boulevard, other port roads or on the median of State Road 528.
The State Route 401 bridge will not be open to vessel transits from 7:30 a.m. to noon Monday.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, Click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1