{"id":362875,"date":"2026-08-04T22:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/362875\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T22:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:24:07","slug":"maclay-boulevard-reopening-brings-hope-to-market-district-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/362875\/","title":{"rendered":"Maclay Boulevard reopening brings hope to Market District businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) \u2014 Maclay Boulevard is set to reopen September 1st, according to the City of Tallahassee<\/a>, offering a long-awaited milestone for businesses and customers in Tallahassee’s Market District<\/a> after nearly a year of road closures.<\/p>\n

WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n

Maclay Boulevard set to reopen after nearly a year of road closures in Tallahassee’s Market District<\/p>\n

The road closed in September 2025<\/a> to accommodate construction of Blueprint’s Market District Park<\/a>, a city stormwater project<\/a>, and a roundabout.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the request of the Market District Association, construction of the new Maclay Boulevard was prioritized and is on track to be open to traffic as of September 1, while work continues throughout the corridor. Active construction of the park will continue on both sides of the newly built road so drivers will be encouraged to go slow and use caution.\u201d<\/p>\n

City of Tallahassee<\/p>\n

During that time, businesses reported a significant loss of foot traffic and sales.<\/p>\n

Sam Osborne said he lost in the seven figures across his three businesses \u2014 Island Wing Company, Rock N\u2019 Roll Sushi, and Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 \u2014 during the closure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe say all roads lead to Market District now, so we are really going to have them open back up again, so we’re super excited, and it’s also going into our busier time of year with football,\u201d Osborne said.<\/p>\n

But Osborne acknowledged the recovery will take time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that it won’t come back right away. Customers are building new habits, and we’ve just got to get them to come back to the old habits of driving those roads again and knowing that the area is easy to navigate like it once was, if not even more so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Customer Betsy McKnight said she is also looking forward to the reopening.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I can see where some working people might be a little frustrated with it because it’s taking longer. But for the most part, I’ve been fine with it.\u00a0Anything to make that area look nicer,\u201d McKnight said. <\/p>\n

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be driving right through there. See what it all looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serena Moyle, the volunteer president of the Market District, says the roundabout is already generating traffic, but the main road reopening is critical to a full recovery.<\/p>\n

“You can see there’s traffic now that the roundabout is open. That’s busy, but we need this main artery open to bring back the full impact because we won’t see a change in our numbers until that happens,” Moyle said.<\/p>\n

With a reopening date now set, Moyle said the focus has shifted to marketing and outreach.<\/p>\n

“Well, we have to now educate everybody that we’re back open, so you\u2019ll see new signage, you’ll see a lot more promoting on the Market District website. You’ll see a lot more on social media that all the businesses are open. There is access everywhere. We no longer will have that sign that says, \u2018Road Closed,\u2019\u201d Moyle said.<\/p>\n

The Market District is marking the road reopening with an \u201cAll-Day Block Party\u201d on September 3rd, featuring live music at three locations across the district \u2014 Sage, Hearth & Soul Courtyard, and Island Wing Grill.<\/p>\n

Participating businesses will offer discounts and specials throughout the day.<\/p>\n

City officials, commissioners and Chamber representatives are also expected to attend a ceremonial removal of a construction cone to mark the district’s full reopening.<\/p>\n

Once park construction is completed in 2027, Maclay Boulevard will need to close again for \u201cfinal paving, curing and striping\u201d during Phase II of construction \u2014 making pedestrian and \u201cstreetscaping\u201d improvements.<\/p>\n

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n

Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n

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