Ellis Road Widening in West Melbourne, Florida

The Ellis Road widening is Florida Department of Transportation project 426905-4, which rebuilds 1.827 miles of Ellis Road from west of John Rodes Boulevard to west of Wickham Road and takes it from two lanes to four (FDOT project 426905-4).

FDOT lists the Ellis Road project in both Melbourne and West Melbourne, in Brevard County, with two travel lanes in each direction separated by a raised median. Five partners share the work with FDOT, by the agency's list: the county, both cities, the regional transportation planning organization for the Space Coast and the airport (FDOT project 426905-4). FDOT shows Masci General Contractor, Inc. as the contractor on the same page.

The City of West Melbourne describes Ellis Road as a key east-west route to Melbourne Orlando International Airport and nearby economic hubs, and its notice also refers to the corridor as Ellis Road (St. Johns Heritage Parkway) (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page). The city's stated goals are less congestion, fewer freight bottlenecks and better access to major employers, including national defense contractors, plus stronger links to ports and tourist destinations.

The widened Ellis Road will carry four 11-foot travel lanes, 7-foot bicycle lanes, 6-foot sidewalks on both sides, new traffic signals and drainage improvements (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page).

The two Ellis Road records count the signals differently. FDOT names three intersections that get new signals: East Drive, Distribution Drive/Technology Drive West and Technology Drive East (FDOT project 426905-4). The City of West Melbourne page lists the same three in its introduction, but its smart technology item describes two new signalized intersections and two upgraded ones, and its signal list shows only East Drive and Distribution Drive/Technology Drive (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page).

Safety items on the West Melbourne list for Ellis Road include new lighting, access management meant to reduce the likelihood of crashes, the new bike lanes and sidewalks, and improved crossings at signalized intersections (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page).

FDOT lists the Ellis Road widening at a $31 million construction cost, while the Space Coast TPO's adopted priority list records separate phase amounts for the same project (FDOT project 426905-4).

Two FDOT records give the $31 million figure for Ellis Road: the project page labels it construction cost and the project flyer labels it project cost (FDOT Ellis Road project flyer). Neither breaks the figure down further.

The Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization's FY 2025 priorities for fiscal 2026 to 2030, adopted July 11, 2024, rank Ellis Road from I-95/John Rodes to Wickham first on its Strategic Intermodal System list. That record shows a funded right-of-way phase for 2021 to 2025 at $31,406,030, a funded construction phase for fiscal year 2026 at $34,150,000, and an unfunded construction phase for fiscal year 2026 at $46,900,000 (Space Coast TPO project priorities, adopted 07/11/2024). The TPO list reports phases and their funding status, while FDOT reports one construction cost for Ellis Road.

The I-95 interchange at Ellis Road is a separate, completed FDOT project, 426905-3, and its own page lists a construction cost of $39 million (FDOT project 426905-3).

FDOT's official project page for 426905-4 carries the current construction schedule for the Ellis Road widening and lists the project's phase as construction (FDOT project 426905-4).

Both the City of West Melbourne page and the FDOT flyer send readers to FDOT's Central Florida website for the most current Ellis Road project details and lane closure information (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page). The city page also describes an earlier step: FDOT clearing vegetation, debris and other materials in the right-of-way, with erosion control and performance turf afterward, as preparation for utility construction and relocation related to the widening, which the page says is scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

The West Melbourne page and the FDOT flyer each warn that the Ellis Road construction schedule may change because of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances (FDOT Ellis Road project flyer).

The City of West Melbourne says traffic on Ellis Road has increased significantly since the I-95 interchange opened in 2020 (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page).

That I-95 interchange at Ellis Road was FDOT project 426905-3, built from Fall 2018 to Spring 2020 over 1.495 miles. FDOT's stated purpose was a direct I-95 connection to the Melbourne airport, with new ramps easing traffic at the adjacent interchanges, aligning with Ellis Road on the east and a regional road network on the west (FDOT project 426905-3).

The widening east of the interchange was the Space Coast TPO's top Strategic Intermodal System priority in the list adopted July 11, 2024, described simply as widening Ellis Road from 2 to 4 lanes (Space Coast TPO project priorities). FDOT's September 2025 release called it a long-awaited project to ease congestion in southern Brevard County (FDOT open house release).

During Ellis Road construction, FDOT plans intermittent lane closures between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and between 7:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., with the posted speed limit kept in place (FDOT Ellis Road project flyer).

Electronic message boards and other signs will guide Ellis Road traffic through the work zone, and the level of activity and noise will change from phase to phase (City of West Melbourne Ellis Road page). FDOT's project page takes comments and questions through a form, with the FDOT communications team at (321) 634-6111 (FDOT project 426905-4).

Public input on Ellis Road already had one formal round. FDOT and its partners held an open house on Sarno Road in Melbourne on October 1, 2025, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with a same-evening webinar, and asked for comments by October 13, 2025 to include them in the record; the release says the materials stay on the project website throughout the project (FDOT open house release). Locally, West Melbourne Public Works at 1415 Henry Avenue answers at 321-727-3710, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (City of West Melbourne Public Works contact).

Last verified: October 21, 2026, by re-reading FDOT's Ellis Road and I-95 interchange project pages, the Ellis Road flyer and open house release, the City of West Melbourne project page and the Space Coast TPO priority list adopted in 2024.