COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A big new project could change how drivers get to Cocoa Beach in Brevard County.
Renderings show new changes on the $2.9 million Minuteman Causeway face-lift.
Officials said it would mean new drainage, sidewalks and landscaping and residents may only have to pay for half of it.
Owners whose businesses sit along the beachfront tourist hot spot said they couldn't be happier.
"I'm a long-time Cocoa Beacher and we've all been waiting for something like this to happen to Minuteman," Fat Kahuna's restaurant owner Dewey Siljestrom said.
The street acts as the downtown main street for Cocoa Beach and ends at the access to the Atlantic Coast.
It's a popular spot for travelers and locals, lined with party spots and restaurants that have long hoped for a new look along the short corridor.
"We're very excited," Cocoa Beach City Manager Bob Mijka said.
Some of the cost will be deferred because the new drainage system will help clean up the Indian River Lagoon by limiting storm runoff.
That means federal money is available to cover about half the cost.
"There's about 40 acres of storm water that flows through this system right here, and part of this is to improve the storm water, basically a capture and treatment system," Mijka said.
Business owners hope it all adds up to more beach-goers spending more money in downtown Cocoa Beach.
"It's been a long time coming and we're all super stoked and it's just gonna give us a little identity here in Cocoa Beach," Siljestrom said.
City officials said the current drainage system along the street meets all state and federal environmental standards.
But the new system could be a model, for an even cleaner, better drainage process.
WFTV
