BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — For months now the Interstate 95 interchange at the new St. Johns Heritage Parkway has been completed, but it still remains closed.
- Only about a hundred feet to be paved
- Different agencies won't take responsibility for it
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Marie Davino from Grant wants to know why.
“Once this road is finished it will be a lot quicker getting home than having to get stuck up by Malabar Road,” said Davino.
The problem is the interchange is not connected to the local road yet.
Paving of just a hundred feet of dirt is all that is needed before Brevard County’s southernmost interchange on I-95 can open.
“To avoid the exit at Malabar Road would be great. I mean if there’s less traffic down here, there would be a lot easier access,” Davino said.
Spectrum News 13 checked with FDOT, which is just waiting for Babcock Road to be completed, to connect the interchange with the St. Johns Heritage Parkway.
But who’s in charge of making that connection?
Depends on who you ask.
“Paving of the final area … located within Brevard County right-of-way is on hold until the county issues an access permit for the connection and intersection improvements for the new roadway,” said city of Palm Bay Spokesperson Keely Leggett.
But Brevard County does not want to issue that permit, instead it would like Palm Bay to take over maintenance of all of Babcock Road south of Malabar Road.
“Essentially the ball is in Palm Bay’s court,” said Don Walker, Brevard County spokesperson.
But the city says it does not have the money to upkeep that county road.
Davino is sick of the blame game and just wants the new I-95 exit to open.
“Hopefully it will alleviate some of the traffic that we might be seeing from the residents who all live down here,” said Davino.