Residents are concerned that a lot of drivers will use the new road as a cut-through between Minton and Henry/US192, especially at rush hour, because the new road will:

• bypass heavy congestion on Minton

• bypass heavy congestion on Henry/US192

• be a shorter distance than driving through the Minton/US192 intersection

• bypass traffic lights         

• avoid the accident capital of West Melbourne, the Minton/US192 intersection

• be a short-cut from

  • where people are (e.g., Palm Bay), to

  • where they want to be (e.g., the mall area, downtown Melbourne, etc.)

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A cut-through acts like a filter. It selects the drivers who are frustrated, impatient, aggressive, even angry.  Cut-through drivers are notorious for speeding, reckless driving, and accidents.​

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To assess the issue, the city funded a small-scale traffic study in 2019. The engineering report confirmed that there will in fact be a considerable amount of cut-through traffic, mainly west-bound traffic wanting to go south on Minton.  Some quotes:

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"… it is likely that many motorists traveling from the east on U.S. 192 whose destination is to the south on Minton Road, utilize Doherty Drive and Henry Avenue to avoid the more congested U.S. 192 and Minton Road intersection."  Page 10.

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"… Vehicles originating east of the study area that travel west on Henry Avenue in the afternoon are likely to receive the largest benefit from using the proposed extension.… an estimated 20% of vehicles originating from the east that travel to a final destination south of Heritage Oaks Boulevard may use the extension as an alternate during afternoon commutes" Page 19.

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You can access the complete Traffic Study here:

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(Note: The reality may be even worse than depicted in the study. See Traffic Study page for the details.)

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Furthermore, the city's experience with Trend Road makes a powerful case that cut-through traffic on the Doherty/Heritage Extension may be downright overwhelming. In 2018, some residents petitioned for speed humps on Trend Road. West Melbourne police monitored traffic for a week, and found that there was an astounding amount of traffic on the street, much more than they had expected.  Traffic volumes were FOUR TIMES as much as would be expected if all traffic had been local. 

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The council discussions about the Trend Road issue are highlighted in these PDF files:

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This experience is directly relevant to the Doherty/ Heritage Extension project. As you can see in the map below, Trend Road and the Doherty/Heritage Extension are mirror images. Trend Road is a shortcut that bypasses the busy Henry/Hollywood intersection; Doherty/Heritage Extension is a shortcut that bypasses the busy Henry/Minton intersection. Similar effects on cut-through traffic should be expected. Since there are extraordinary levels of cut-through on Trend Road, we should expect   extraordinary levels of cut-through traffic on the Doherty/Heritage Extension.

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For anyone still uncertain about cut-through traffic, here are a few things you can do to check for yourself:

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• On Minton Road, during rush hour, when traffic is jamming up, watch how cars illegally use the post office as a cut-through. Even Mayor Rose has noticed this and took it seriously enough to warrant commenting on it at a council meeting.    Listen here:

                

 

 

                                                                              

• If you order a delivery (from, say, Doordash, or Instacart) get out your phone and watch the route the driver takes. Or if you take a taxi or Uber from someplace northeast of Minton/Henry, to someplace south of it, pay attention to the route the driver takes. Almost always, they take a shortcut through streets such as Doherty, Henry, etc., to avoid the Minton/US192 intersection. Ask the driver why.

• Check with mapping services. Even Google Maps recognizes the value of bypassing Minton/US192. If you Google a route from the Melbourne Square Mall to Minton/Eber, the route is not via Minton/US192, it is the route that takes a shortcut via Doherty Drive.

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