Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island , which are kept together by a bridge over this inlet .
Simplified: It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island , which are connected by a 2.5 mile bridge that spans the inlet .