The Doherty Drive Extension project may have made some sense on paper 15 or 20 years ago. But things have changed: the Pro's got weaker, and the Con's got stronger, irreversibly. Let's look at the changes.

 

TRAFFIC

The most important change is that the city gave up the right of way that would be needed to extend Doherty Drive down to Fell Road. Because of that, the extension will not help traffic to circulate; instead, it will just channel a lot of traffic into Henry Avenue, which is ill-suited to handle the increase.  

 

Another change is that traffic has increased dramatically on Minton. Residents used to take some comfort in thinking that Minton would eventually be expanded to six lanes; however, the recent Minton Road study concluded that the expansion is not feasible, and even minor improvements are not planned or funded. Also, traffic has increased significantly on Henry since it was extended through to Edgewood.

 

The bottom line is that traffic pressure on Minton will induce heavy cut-through traffic (which tends to be people in a rush, prone to accidents) on the Doherty Drive Extension, creating even worse traffic jams at Henry/Doherty, which is also a school crossing, without even a traffic light.  

 

FLOODING

Another change is that the flood risk has increased. Due to weather pattern changes, extreme rainfall events have become almost routine, leading to much more flooding.  The flood risk is exacerbated by rampant growth in West Melbourne, which has almost decimated the green space that is essential for flood prevention. The city has acknowledged that the flood risk has increased, and has at various times declared that flooding is our number one priority. Brevard County and Florida state officials have also acknowledged that the existing stormwater management rules are badly out of date and are not adequate to deal with the kinds of rainfall events we are sure to see. 

 

Another thing that has changed is that all of the lots adjacent to the path of the road have been built on. The lots along the Extension of Heritage Oaks Boulevard all drain into the woods that will be replaced by the road. If there is a significant storm during road construction (which is likely), when the stormwater runoff system (whatever it turns out to be) is not yet functional, what will become of all the  water that lands in the backyards that now drain into the woods? And what will happen to other neighborhoods served by the same canal system?

 

THE ENVIRONMENT

Real estate development in West Melbourne has mushroomed in recent years, decimating much of the green space that is needed to preserve the natural feel of our neighborhoods, and disrupting wildlife.  This is a growing source of concern to residents, who have become increasingly aware of environmental issues. Council members often express concern, but not much headway is being made, because when property is privately owned by a developer, even getting them to preserve a tree or two has been proven to be difficult. However, the property to be used for the proposed road is under the sole control of the City of West Melbourne, which can save well over a hundred trees, by simply canceling the project.

 

THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

This is somewhat subjective, but the author's impression is that over the years there has been a steady drift of residents from the Pro position to the Con position. In earlier years there was some enthusiasm because some West Melbourne residents saw the road as a shortcut to various locations; but support for the Con position increased dramatically as it became clear that "the traveling public" (mostly not residents of West Melbourne), would also see it that way, threatening the privacy, safety, and security of the residents. Many people have switched from Don't Care, to Con.

 

OVERALL

The project has progressed at a glacial pace, but the world continues to change at breakneck speed. The project is out of sync with today's needs. What might have seemed like a good idea on paper 15 or 20 years ago is no longer viable.  It is an idea whose time came, and went, long ago! To implement it now would be irresponsible!