Wawa right-turn lane coming to U.S. 1-U.S. 192 intersection in downtown Melbourne

Construction begins next week on the long-awaited Wawa right-turn lane at the congested U.S. 1-U.S. 192 intersection, providing relief for beachside morning commuters who chronically back up along the Melbourne Causeway.

The Florida Department of Transportation will build the new lane — leading westbound U.S. 192 motorists onto northbound U.S. 1 — as part of a $1.6 million project that will add mast-arm traffic signals at three Melbourne intersections.

"I'm not saying it's going to solve all the problems at that intersection. (But) I think we will get more people through that intersection during each light cycle," Deputy City Manager Jenni Lamb said. 

The project will upgrade three U.S. 1 intersections along a 2.8-mile stretch, at U.S. 192, Hibiscus Boulevard and Ballard Drive. 

Construction should begin Thursday, March 5, said Mariam Ali, FDOT spokeswoman. The contractor is American Lighting and Signalization, a Jacksonville company.

"Improvements at these intersections include sidewalk construction, curb and gutter systems, equipment upgrades such as mast arms (structure that holds the traffic signals), paving and pavement striping," Ali said via email.

All project work should wrap up by early 2021, and the Wawa turn lane will open to traffic, she said.

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The $11 million downtown Melbourne Wawa opened in August 2018. To build the convenience store-gas station, heavy equipment operators demolished five aging buildings across 1.7 acres, including a derelict gas station, the old 60 Minute Cleaners and a multi-tenant storefront dating to 1920. Mangetsu Sushi Bar & Korean BBQ lost its building, then later moved to New Haven Avenue.

By consolidating land ownership across the block, Wawa pieced together property for a future right-hand turn lane. The company provided this right-of-way, which was valued at $135,318, as part of its Melbourne City Council development agreement.

Lamb said the city conveyed the land to FDOT, which incorporated the turn lane into design-engineering of its upcoming U.S. 1-U.S. 192 intersection project. Had crews built the turn lane during Wawa construction, she said the FDOT project would have reconfigured the intersection.

"Why have Wawa build it to tear it out and have it rebuilt again?" Lamb asked of the turn lane.

"Didn't happen immediately — and I know everybody wanted it to happen then. Working through the process and working with DOT, it took a couple of years. But we will now have the turn lane," she said.

Per a January 2019 budget resolution, Wawa also deposited $55,432 to install decorative crosswalks at the intersection. The proposed crosswalks are red and stamped with a herringbone pattern, similar to other areas downtown. 

In a $588,000 U.S. 1 intersection project last year, FDOT added mast-arm traffic signals at NASA Boulevard and Cherry Street in Melbourne. The project also eliminated the northbound "green arrows" at both intersections.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1. To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/