$246 Million CR 510 Widening Project on Track — With Exceptions

Bill Rigby came to Tuesday's Indian River County Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting with questions about a $105 million flyover that will eventually rise above the Florida East Coast Railway tracks near Wabasso — and he wasn't alone. West Wabasso residents packed the public comment period, challenging both the price tag and whether their community had any real voice in a project that will reshape the only major road corridor connecting their neighborhood to the rest of the county.

The MPO received a full briefing on the $246 million County Road 510 widening project — a six-mile rebuild of the corridor from CR 512 to US 1 that will expand the road from two lanes to four, add sidewalks, bike lanes and drainage improvements, and be built in six construction segments stretching through 2033. FDOT project manager Maria Formoso delivered the update.

The near-term news is good. Segment 7, the southernmost stretch from CR 512 to 87th Place, is running ahead of schedule under contractor Tim Rose Construction at a cost of $25 million. The finished roadway will carry a 50 mph posted speed limit, feature 22-foot medians and include a new bus hub near the high school coordinated with Indian River County.

The middling news involves money and bureaucratic friction. Segment 8 — from 87th Place to 82nd Avenue, designed with a triple box culvert to manage canal drainage — sits ready for construction but awaits $21.8 million in tentative fiscal year 2030 funding. The $51.4 million segment from 82nd Avenue to Powerline Road, targeted for 2031, has been stalled by what Formoso called "unreasonable" right-of-way permit demands from Sebastian River Improvement District, according to public records from the meeting. County Commissioner Susan Adams and staff are scheduled to meet with the district June 19 to break the impasse. A separate $46 million segment farther north, slated for 2032 construction, faces similar friction from Indian River Farms Water Control District.

Then there is the flyover. The $105 million structure at the northern end of the project, bridging 58th Avenue to US 1 over the FEC rail line, accounts for nearly half the project's entire budget. Formoso told the board that Florida East Coast Railway — which she described as "very demanding and not easily swayed to cooperation" — required FDOT to design a hybrid: two lanes crossing at grade and two elevated lanes flying over the tracks. As part of that agreement, FEC demanded the closure of the Old Dixie crossing.

Rigby and other Wabasso residents questioned whether $105 million for a partial flyover was the right call and raised concerns about community representation. The public comment session grew tense when County Deputy Attorney Susan Prado cited court orders affecting leadership roles within the West Wabasso Progressive Civic League, which has sought a formal voice in the project.

The full six-segment project is scheduled for completion in 2033, officials said. The MPO received the update as an informational item; no vote was taken Tuesday.

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