Phase One of the multi-use canal trail, which extends from Port Malabar Boulevard near Briar Creek Boulevard and ends at the north end of the Malabar Scrub Sanctuary, has been open since 2004.

Work on the second half of the trail, which will continue the path through Malabar, ending at Marie Street, will begin in October, Palm Bay Public Works Director Jim Proce said.

The expansion is being delayed while a local contractor for another project completes drainage work in the area.

"We should be done by the end of the calendar year," Proce said.

Proce said he often rides through the area on his mountain bike and sees quite a few residents making use of the path.

"People are going down there on roller blades and bikes," Proce said. "There's all kinds of birds and critters. It's a neat place."

Charlotte Willis, the executive director at Glenbrooke at Palm Bay, an independent retirement living community, said several of the facility's residents have been utilizing the pathway daily.

"They don't dilly-dally around," Willis said. "You're hard pressed to keep up with them."

The "Glenbrooke Gait'rs" a senior-formed walking club, hit the trail every morning, as do several residents from surrounding neighborhoods.

The walkway has become something of a community event.

"You'd be surprised, a lot of different people walk and have gotten to know each other," said Willis, who is looking forward to the trail being extended.

"It will give them (the resident walkers) more to achieve," she said of her community's resident walkers. "If the path is longer, it's more of an opportunity for them to build up their stamina."

At its completion, the trail will be about two miles long and is part of the South Brevard Linear Trail plan, a 22-mile contiguous multi-use path that will meander through the southeastern end of the county.

Barbara Meyer, Brevard County Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail program coordinator, said Malabar and Palm Bay are working with the county on the project.

"The boundary trail is a good example of coordination between a lot of entities," Meyer said. "The dream is to be able to go through Turkey Creek to Sebastian. We're looking at connecting neighborhoods where we can."

So far, only a few miles of the planned trail are finished and not yet connected.

"There is no dedicated funding source for the trails program," Meyer said. "As opportunities arise, we can look for grants."

This portion of the trail is being completed through a $100,000 grant from the Office of Greenways and Trails with the Department of Environmental Protection, which the city of Palm Bay matched with $150,000, said the city's grant coordinator, Eve Owens.