About 50,000 drivers navigate through the intersection of Sarno Road and U.S. Highway 1 in Melbourne each day. It's one of the city's busiest roads, and it's about to get a facelift.

  • Intersection of Sarno Road and US-1 getting upgrades
  • Improvements should help with traffic at the light
  • 6-month project will cost about $520,000

Melbourne city leaders hope the improvements relieve congestion and make the roadway safer. The project could also benefit the Indian River Lagoon.

"It's about time," said Julie Gonzalez, who comes through the intersection often and gets stuck in traffic at the light. "About 99 percent of the time I drive down this road, I get caught."

The two eastbound lanes on Sarno Road are the issue: one is devoted to making a left turn onto U.S. 1 and the other plays double-duty as a left and a right turning lane. Motorists who want to turn right must wait — sometimes for several cycles of the light.

"It's been needed for many years now," said Jenni Lamb, an engineer with the city of Melbourne.

Lamb's team of engineers has been looking at putting in a dedicated right-turn lane since 2011 with the goal of cutting down on rush hour standstills.

"It makes a big difference to allow people to make these right turns," she said.

The engineers are taking it one step further with new sidewalks, crosswalk striping and storm-proof traffic signals.

A new stormwater pond will also prevent about 37 pounds of pollutants from getting into the Indian River Lagoon waters each year.

Gonzalez said saving a few precious minutes in the car will make a difference.

"They should do a lot more in these turn lanes," she said.

The cost of the project is $520,000. It's being funded by local transportation impact fees and $172,000 by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in the spring and last six months.