Magnolia Drive improvements will include safety features
Photo by Kylah Thompson
By Kylah Thompson
Special to the Outlook
When construction work on Magnolia Drive is completed, it will be a safer path for pedestrians. The infrastructure improvement that stretches from South Adams Street to Apalachee Parkway has been underway for the last four months.
The project is one of the largest on a list of multi-million dollar infrastructure improvements planned for the Southside of Tallahassee. Currently work is being done on a portion of the project that runs from South Monroe Street to Prospect Street.
Work on this phase is expected to be completed by next spring, said Chris Muehlemann, Senior Design Engineer for Leon County.
The project is funded by the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, made up of City and County government.
“Everything is on schedule,” Muehlemann said. “Residents can look forward to updated lighting, a widened sidewalk for pedestrians. There will also be landscaping and overall beautification.”
Work on the project actually started three years ago with completion of the phase between South Adams and South Monroe streets.
When the current phases — one and four –- are completed, they will include underground electricity from South Monroe Street to Apalachee Parkway. That portion of the project is also expected to be completed by next spring.
Early planning for the project involved engagement of residents from surrounding neighborhoods, an element that Muehlemann said was essential to the final design.
“The need for underground electricity was brought up in a public meeting that we had,” Muehlemann said. “We conferred with the IA (Intergovernmental Agency) board and now it’s happening. I look forward to it being completed.”
Southside resident Leyma Leban welcomes the project, despite detours for drivers during the construction. Leban, who doesn’t drive, is eagerly anticipating the sidewalk.
“As someone who walks everywhere, sometimes I feel like an afterthought in Tallahassee,” Leban said. “People deserve to feel safe even if they don’t have a car.
“The lack of sidewalks is a big issue. I felt very unsafe because I couldn’t rely on drivers to pay attention.”
In addition to the Magnolia Street project, Southside residents can look forward to improvements on Zillah Street. It includes improved lighting and sidewalks to improvements connectivity for pedestrians.
Zillah Street is located about a mile south of Magnolia Drive and in the area of Fairview Middle School.
Plans to begin work on Zillah Street were unexpectedly delayed, said Roger Cain, a City of Tallahassee Project Engineer for Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure.
“Zillah is still in the design phase,” Cain said. “We have a few things to button up and get cleared with the county and then we expect construction to start at the beginning of next year.”
