After nearly a decade of planning and public meetings, the completion of the U.S Highway 1 expansion and infrastructure/streetscape project was celebrated with a grand reopening event in December 2010. A primary thoroughfare for the entire eastern seaboard, U.S 1 traverses directly through the heart of Rockledge and composes the core of the U.S Highway 1 Redevelopment Sub-District.
This $27-million project expanded the roadway from four lanes to six lanes and also included innovative and extensive stormwater upgrades. Through a positive relationship and creative “public-public” partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, the requisite reservoirs for stormwater were routed to offsite locations, thereby resulting in the protection and preservation of valuable commercial real estate along the U.S 1 corridor, as well as the preclusion of an important main road peppered with unsightly retention ponds.
To ensure the addition of a number of amenities along the roadway, including picturesque landscaping, decorative lighting and the installation of wider sidewalks, the Community Redevelopment Agency assisted by providing $1.5 million in funding for these elements. A significant portion of these funds was reinvested from $1.2 million received from the Florida Department of Transportation for stormwater capacity.