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State Road 3 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
State Road 3, also known as North Courtenay Parkway, is a north–south road serving as the southern access for the Kennedy Space Center
near Cape Canaveral, Florida
. The shortest of the one-digit Florida State Roads, its southern terminus is an intersection with SR 520 on Merritt Island
, east of Cocoa
. In 2010, it carried 31,000 vehicles daily north of the Beachline, 36,000 a day south.
as A1A was routed across the Banana River
on the Merritt Island Causeway
(SR 520) - and was, in fact, cosigned with SR 520 - and then northward along North Tropical Trail through Kennedy Space Center
to an intersection with the former SR 402 (now Brevard County Road 402) near the shore of Mosquito Lagoon
in the (present-day) Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
near Titusville
.
In the meantime, SR 3 extended along the length of Tropical Trail from US 1 near Oak Hill
to the southern tip of Merritt Island, where it crosses the Banana River on the Mathers Bridge
(a swing span
drawbridge
) before turning south on South Patrick Drive (present day SR 513) and crossing the Indian River
back to the mainland on the Eau Gallie Causeway
(present day SR 518) and terminating at U.S. Route 1 (SR 5) in Melbourne
. Between then-SR 402 and SR 520, SR 3 was cosigned with SR A1A.
The openings of the Emory L. Bennett Causeway and the Pineda Causeway (in 1971) triggered a massive transformation of SR 3. The former causeway shifted SR A1A to the north (to the newly-extended Bee Line Expressway) as SR 3 was realigned to cover North Courtenay Parkway and provide the access to the Kennedy Space Center (the segment north of KSC lost its SR 3 and A1A signs); the latter causeway prompted the establishment of South Patrick Drive as the primary southern access to Patrick Air Force Base
as SR 513.
In 1976, the Florida Department of Transportation
added a "C-" prefix to the signs on the stretch south of SR 520 and started the transition from State Road 3 to Brevard County Road 3 -- yet a handful of "State Road C-3" signs are still posted on Tropical Trail near the southern tip of Merritt Island.
Courtenay Parkway eventually was extended past the SR-520 beyond the Merritt Island Airport to the historic community of Georgianna, where it meets up with the older South Tropical Trail, however this is a county facility and does not carry the state road designation. The last phase was completed in the late 1980s.
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
near Cape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,829 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,147...
. The shortest of the one-digit Florida State Roads, its southern terminus is an intersection with SR 520 on Merritt Island
Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, east of Cocoa
Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,412 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 16,478. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Cocoa was...
. In 2010, it carried 31,000 vehicles daily north of the Beachline, 36,000 a day south.
History
Not one inch of the original alignment of SR 3 is in the current route. Until the opening of the Emory L. Bennett Causeway in the 1960s, the route to KSC was signed SR A1AFlorida State Road A1A
State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...
as A1A was routed across the Banana River
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 part of the lagoon system not in the Intracoastal...
on the Merritt Island Causeway
Merritt Island Causeway
The Merritt Island Causeway, which connects Cocoa, Florida, Merritt Island, Florida and Cocoa Beach, Florida, is the second route over the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River. The causeway divides Merritt Island into eastern and western sections. The western section is the location of the...
(SR 520) - and was, in fact, cosigned with SR 520 - and then northward along North Tropical Trail through Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
to an intersection with the former SR 402 (now Brevard County Road 402) near the shore of Mosquito Lagoon
Mosquito Lagoon
Mosquito Lagoon is located in the northern part of the Indian River Lagoon system and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from Ponce de León Inlet in Volusia County, Florida, to the north end of Merritt Island. It connects to the Indian River via the Haulover Canal. The Lagoon divides...
in the (present-day) Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is an important U.S. National Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is also a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail.-Location and extent:...
near Titusville
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
.
In the meantime, SR 3 extended along the length of Tropical Trail from US 1 near Oak Hill
Oak Hill, Florida
Oak Hill is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,454.-History:...
to the southern tip of Merritt Island, where it crosses the Banana River on the Mathers Bridge
Mathers Bridge
Mathers Bridge is located on the southern tip of Merritt Island, Florida at the end of State Road 3/County Route 3. The bridge was built in 1927 by John Mathers to connect Merritt Island to what is now Indian Harbour Beach. It is a 700 feet long low level swing span drawbridge. The bridge and the...
(a swing span
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
) before turning south on South Patrick Drive (present day SR 513) and crossing the Indian River
Indian River (Florida)
The Indian River is a waterway in Florida, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida [Volusia County] southward and across the "Haulover Canal" and along the western shore...
back to the mainland on the Eau Gallie Causeway
Eau Gallie Causeway
The Eau Gallie Causeway connects Eau Gallie, Florida , with SR A1A near Indian Harbour Beach, across the Indian River Lagoon. Located entirely within the Melbourne city limits, the causeway consists of a main bridge crossing over the Intracoastal Waterway and a relief bridge...
(present day SR 518) and terminating at U.S. Route 1 (SR 5) in Melbourne
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
. Between then-SR 402 and SR 520, SR 3 was cosigned with SR A1A.
The openings of the Emory L. Bennett Causeway and the Pineda Causeway (in 1971) triggered a massive transformation of SR 3. The former causeway shifted SR A1A to the north (to the newly-extended Bee Line Expressway) as SR 3 was realigned to cover North Courtenay Parkway and provide the access to the Kennedy Space Center (the segment north of KSC lost its SR 3 and A1A signs); the latter causeway prompted the establishment of South Patrick Drive as the primary southern access to Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. An Air Force Space Command base, it is home to the 45th Space Wing...
as SR 513.
In 1976, the Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
added a "C-" prefix to the signs on the stretch south of SR 520 and started the transition from State Road 3 to Brevard County Road 3 -- yet a handful of "State Road C-3" signs are still posted on Tropical Trail near the southern tip of Merritt Island.
Courtenay Parkway eventually was extended past the SR-520 beyond the Merritt Island Airport to the historic community of Georgianna, where it meets up with the older South Tropical Trail, however this is a county facility and does not carry the state road designation. The last phase was completed in the late 1980s.