Finding the beginnings of the Palm Bay Parkway a few weeks ago really took me by surprise. You see, I’ve been hearing rumors of a parkway running along the western edges of Palm Bay, Florida for probably twenty years. And every time I’d get my hopes up, and drive around investigating, it would turn out to be, well, just a rumor. So imagine my surprise one Sunday morning as I drove along the extreme western end of Malabar Road. I passed the familiar entrance to Palm Bay Regional Park, then Parkside West, then a new… road? Was that a new road I just passed?
Turning around at Heritage High School, I approached this under-construction trail. A gravel parking lot (see photo #5 above) opened onto what looked like a dirt 4-lane. There were no signs and as I stared North, something curious loomed tall – a giant crane. My interest piqued, I headed north where the gravel turned to dirt, and the dirt eventually led to the East/West Melbourne Tillman Canal. Not only did I find a crane, I found a bridge under construction. Beyond, on the other side of the canal, a dirt road continued, cutting through the trees and then curving out of sight. I had to know more.
I took Malabar Road to Jupiter Blvd., Jupiter to Pace, and drove as far west as I could. A canal separated the neighborhood, but beyond, in the trees, I could see bulldozers. They obviously hadn’t crossed here, (unless bulldozers can float) as no bridge existed from Pace over the canal. A short jaunt further north, and I turned left onto Emerson Drive. Here I finally found ‘Construction’ and ‘No Trespassing’ signs. A closed gate barred any further travel over the canal, but in the distance, yes, you guessed it, more construction equipment.
A Palm Bay Parkway Map Materializes
Doing a little web surfing, I located a PDF document that showed an overview of the road project. The first phase involved the road I’d found, basically a connection from Malabar Road north to Emerson Drive NW and Pace Drive NW as well. But wasn’t there supposed to be a 192 connection? The map said yes, so several days later I ventured onto 192 heading West toward Camp Holly. The map showed the Parkway (aka the St. Johns Heritage Parkway) connecting with 192 just under a mile West of Brandywine Lane (next to I-95). I drove by slowly craning my neck, looking for anything that would hint at construction or an entrance. Even just a dirt road. But my search turned up no indicators of the distant parkway.
Palm Bay Parkway to split The Compound?
The same PDF which showed a connection to W. New Haven Avenue (aka 192), and then further North to Ellis Road, also showed a journey southward, down into the house-less area that locals refer to as “The Compound”. The future Palm Bay Parkway appears to join up at the eastern edge of Angora Street SW, then run south along the very long-and-straight, Wingham Drive SW. (When I visit the deserted roads of the Compound, Wingham Drive is a favorite to photograph.)
The future Parkway continues south, possibly merging with St. Andre Blvd before exiting the Compound at the extreme southern area, somewhere around Uncas Street. At that point the Parkway cuts east and connects to a future proposed interchange at I-95, just North of Micco Road.
What’s going to happen to this place? Will the ghostly, weed-strewn streets of this deserted area begin to sprout with homes and businesses once the Parkway goes through? I don’t know. But if it does, I better get busy. (There’s still plenty of streets left to explore!)
The Parkway will be Appreciated!
There is no doubt that having a new connecting road leading both North and South will be a huge help to alleviating the congestion of Minton, Malabar and Palm Bay Roads. Once the Hwy 192 connection is complete, it will also give NW residents an extra emergency escape route for those occasional hurricanes. Other services such as police, fire, and emergency vehicles are sure to benefit as well.
When the first phase of the parkway opens — hopefully soon, in 2013 — I predict that it will turn out to be a hugely popular route. Travelling along the outskirts of Palm Bay will never be the same.
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More Info:
Google Map with Palm Bay Parkway Route
http://palmbayparkway.com/
