BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is planning to mill and resurface South Patrick Drive from Eau Gallie Boulevard to Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County. 

What You Need To Know

  • FDOT plans to mill & resurface South Patrick Drive in Brevard County

  • Bill Lundell is concerned the project won’t address utility issues below the road

  • FDOT says while they won’t make utility improvements, their work will reduce dips & potholes in the road

  • Brevard County Utility Services Dept says they were unaware of the FDOT resurfacing project

Resident Bill Lundell is worried the work won’t address the underlying issue on South Patrick Drive. He says the road is impacted by the sewer and stormwater system below it.

“This is what concerns me. They’re just going to pave it over and forget about it, and then they’re going to have to come back in 10 years,” he said.

Lundell spent nearly three decades working for the city of Melbourne, much of it in utilities.

He pointed out a dip in the roadway, which he says is because of the utilities below the road.

“One day that pothole is going to be a geyser, which is going to be like Old Faithful,” Lundell said.

An FDOT spokesman said the milling and resurfacing would only go 3 to 4 ½ inches deep into the roadway, well above where the utilities would be located.

“The FDOT Brevard Operations Center reviewed this section of South Patrick Drive mentioned by the viewer and did find a small dip in the road, though FDOT does not believe it be related to storm drains or utilities,” said Tim Freed, community outreach specialist for FDOT’s District 5. “The design project manager for this resurfacing project said the upcoming project will address any depressions or potholes along the roadway.”

Brevard County Utility Services Department said they had no idea about the FDOT project.

Had FDOT coordinated with them, they said they may have been able to do some stormwater improvements during construction.

“I don’t see how we can get any pipe in ahead of their current timelines,” said Charlie Ess, engineer with the county’s utility service department.

FDOT says construction is funded to start early next year.

Besides resurfacing the road, FDOT plans to reduce the width of travel lanes on South Patrick Drive to add bike lanes. They also plan to reconstruct curbs to slow traffic.

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