Almost four years in the making, the City of Melbourne along with the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization are happy the Hickory Street Project is set to begin.
- Melbourne, SCTPO to begin Hickory St. project
- Project includes landscaping, better drainage, other enhancements
- Project estimated to take about 18 months
The street will see new landscaping, drainage improvements, easier to see crosswalks, enhancements to bus benches and more.
The project will be completed in two phases — the first starting at the end of March, and then phase two will subsequently begin.
The 1.03 mile stretch of road project will begin between Hibiscus Boulevard and Nasa Boulevard, right in front of a hospital where patients, visitors and employees have to cross the street.
After this phase is completed, streets between New Haven and Hibiscus Boulevard will be next.
The entire project is estimated to take about 18 months to complete both phases.
The price tag for the project is almost $8 million, but according to Melbourne City Engineer Jenni Lamb, most of it will be covered by Florida Department of Transportation's federal funds.
The City of Melbourne will also contribute about $565,805 towards the project.