TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) voted unanimously on Thursday to spend $5 million to install a wide walking trail, sidewalks on both sides of the street and roadside trees on S Meridian Street.
The CRA is overseen by the city commissioners and mayor, though it’s legally a separate entity from the City of Tallahassee. Each commissioner and the mayor voted for the project.
Design will start soon, and construction is expected from Fall of 2028 to Fall of 2029. Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams-Cox, the chair of the CRA, said this project is an example of more momentum on Tallahassee’s Southside.
“I see this happening and I see people pushing strollers and wheelchairs on the sidewalk. I think it’s going to be awesome to be able to have sidewalks on both sides,” Williams-Cox said.
Renderings presented at the CRA meeting show a 10-foot-wide walking trail, numerous trees lining the street, and a sidewalk on both sides of the street. Right now, the sidewalk is only on one side.
”But now we have great energy and a lot of investment taking place on the Southside and we’re really glad to be a part of it,” Williams-Cox said.
The project will encompass a half mile from Orange Ave E up to E Magnolia Drive. The roadside ditches, which multiple commissioners noted as dangerous, would also be enclosed.
Engineers acknowledged the price tag is steep, but they say the outcome will be worth it.
“It’s a big price tag that’s not lost on us, but we do really truly feel that this project is transformative. It’s timeless and this will offer a new change to our built environment,” said Jenna Duncan, a special projects manager for the City of Tallahassee.
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