Located off the Intracoastal-proper on the east side of Biscayne Bay, The East Venetian Causeway Bascule Bridge joins Belle and Rivo Alto islands. The bridge has a closed vertical clearance of five feet with 57 feet of horizontal clearance at the center span. The bridge operates on a restricted schedule. From Nov. 1 through April 30, Monday through Friday, from 7:15 to 8:45 a.m., and then again from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m., the draw does not open. The bridge will open for waiting traffic at 7:45 a.m., 8:15 a.m., 5:15 p.m and 5:45 p.m. There has been much talk since 2003 of changing this schedule, but no changes have yet been made.

Depending on schedule, the bridge can be opened by horn signal (one long, one short) or by hailing the bridge tender on VHF Channel 09. (All bridges in the state of Florida must be hailed on VHF Channel 09.)

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.