On August 11, 2020 the City of Palm Bay held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of a new segment of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway and southern I-95 interchange. The event was open to the public and well-attended.
The new southern interchange will provide Palm Bay residents with much-needed access to the I-95 corridor, reducing the travel time and traffic surrounding the existing interchange at Malabar Road.
The inclusion of northern and southern segments serves as the first and second phases of a future beltway which would connect Brevard’s most populous city, Palm Bay, with U.S. 192 in West Melbourne and Interstate 95 in southeast Palm Bay.
Besides reducing travel time and traffic, The Parkway hopes to provide residents with additional access points for critical emergency evacuation routes. Part of the construction team’s work included converting the preliminary design concept from a partial cloverleaf to a diverging diamond interchange. This conversion improved the safety and efficiency by reducing signal phasing from three phases to two phases. Additionally, the team carefully mitigated impacts to the surrounding environment by implementing gopher and tortoise surveys and relocation, as well as scheduling projects around the breeding season of native birds.
The execution of The Parkway and Interchange, including a new traffic signal at the Babcock Street intersection, comes after months of negotiations and discussions between the Palm Bay City Council and Brevard County Commission. Ultimately, both parties reached an agreement this year.
Per the agreement, the County will issue the road construction permit, and Palm Bay will fund, construct and maintain the intersection. The plan is that by the end of 2023, there will be a four-lane intersection with turn lanes and mast-arm traffic signals. The estimate total project cost is over $7 million.
County officials, however, did agree to make reasonable efforts to fund and reconstruct portions of Babcock Street. There was also an agreement to set aside 50% of transportation impact fees from future nearby development for future Babcock widening needs.
Though there was much back and forth, it seems that most members of Brevard and Palm Bay leadership are happy to see the growth.
Councilman Brian Anderson, who had previously expressed his vision for large-scale residential and commercial developments in the area said, “The opening was a long time coming and a good day for Palm Bay. This expansion is a great way to connect the large and growing population of Palm Bay”. For reference, the Palm Bay population stands at 119,000 residents and is projected to hit 300,000 in the next few years.
Palm Bay Deputy Mayor Kenny Johnson echoed Anderson’s sentiments, mentioning that the opening ceremony was a “great event and great turnout.” He was adamant, however, that he “cannot take credit for this opening. The conversation began over 10 years ago, while I was still in high school. But this project was a marathon, not a sprint. Now that we’re here, we want to make sure we continue to grow responsibly. We want to entice residents to work, learn, play, and spend their money in Palm Bay. The sky is the limit; opening the interchange is just the start.”
Acting Palm Bay City Manager, Suzanne Sherman, simply said that this project has been in discussion for “”many, many, many years and I’m proud to see it come to life.”
Councilman Jeff Bailey appeared to be happy to see project completed. Interestingly enough, Bailey previously voted no on the expansion. His initial concerns were that the whole premise of the, admittedly costly, project rested on a verbal trust agreement with developers to foot some of the bill. At the time, he opined that if development flounders, the intersection will have to be paid for by taxpayer general funds leaving Palm Bay residents on the hook again.
However, after additional negotiations, the project was able to get off the ground with his support. Today, Bailey emphasized in a statement, “It’s about time! Many times, my voting has been on the losing side of the direction council has taken, and more often it has been 4-1 against me. I think the project could have been done on time and with less money if other options were pursed. However, this is probably not the right time or place to rehash the faults I found in past decisions of council. The southern interchange is undeniably a milestone for the City of Palm Bay. Many thanks are owed to city staff who saw this project through and other partners in the process. [This] will sow the seeds for future development in the southern part of Palm Bay, which will hopefully reap benefits of a stronger commercial economic base for the rest of the city.”
Despite the positivity shown at today’s opening, there has been opposition and criticism about the necessity, practicality, and expense of the Parkway and Interchange. Some have called it the “Road to Nowhere”, questioning the delays/timing and organization of construction.
Palm Bay Mayor William Capote thinks that that type thinking is short-sighted and negative. He said in an exclusive comment to PalmBayLive.com, “The expansion of the Parkway and Interchange puts Palm Bay on the map. We are often considered a hidden community, but this project and the multiple phases to follow will change that. You can already start to see 20-30 rooftop popping up along the route with a total of 200+ expected. For residential and commercial purposes, this is something that will thrust our city into the larger discussion of Central Florida business and tourism. It is a start to setting up Palm Bay for the next 20 to 40 years. It’s great for Palm Bay and I’m proud of what we have accomplished. Regardless of the skeptics with no vision. We move forward. I was fortunate to be involved with this.”
Though the project began with dissent and disagreement on the best way to approach the expansion, most public officials appear to be optimistic about what this may mean for Palm Bay’s future.
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