The City of Tallahassee is preparing to re-open part of FAMU Way. Upon completion, the 1 mile roadway will run east to west, connecting South Monroe Street to Lake Bradford Road. Notable enhancements include increased pedestrian access, bike lanes, and adjacent green spaces. The City’s Gabe Menendez, offered a sneak-peak Tuesday.
“As you can see from all the improvements that we already have in place from the streetlights to the pavement to the pavers on the ground to the landscaping, it is a much more contemporary look than any other road we’ve ever built,” he said.
The expanded roadway will make it easier to get to FAMU and provide more pedestrian access to Cascades Park. It will also serve as a connector to the Cascades Capital Trail, which runs south from the center of Tallahassee to St. Marks.
City planners worked alongside FAMU leadership and the FAMU Way Citizens Advisory Committee throughout development. Residents have roots in the area dating back to the 1800s, and shared their memories of the changing neighborhood. City Spokesperson Michelle Bono bore witness to some of those personal stories.
“They talked about the old dirt roads that came through here, and that there was so much pride in home ownership that people would sweep the dirt yards in front of their houses, and they kept them swept with those brooms every day,” she said.
Portions of the trail have been designed to incorporate the art and history of the neighborhood, with interactive exhibits for kids.
FAMU Architectural students helped design an area called Under the Over, a plaza built underneath the South Bronough Street overpass. The area has been equipped with electrical hookups for food trucks, and features green spaces and tiered seating leading down to a five acre pond. City planners and students hope the area will serve as a gathering place and concert venue.
Construction will continue this fall with a grand community opening planned for October 15, just in time for FAMU’s Homecoming.
Michelle Bono anticipates the project’s completion.
“The city manager said one of the things we’re gonna make a commitment to is that this would be the most beautiful roadway in all of Tallahassee,” she commented.
“We’re anxious for people to take their first drive down FAMU Way and see if we accomplished that goal,” she continued.
