Driving to Florida A&M’s campus could be much different by the year 2013.
The FAMU Way road extension project would invest in the south side community, with both residents and students possibly benefi ting. The project is currently in the planning phase.
The City of Tallahassee is busy giving tours to stakeholders, the media and community
members of the proposed routes.
Michelle Bono, an assistant to the City Manager Anita Thompson, said the current goal of the city manager’s office is to educate the community of different alternatives and to receive feedback from residents as to which of the routes is most favorable and benefi cial to the neighborhood.
Bono said initial construction would not begin until 2013. The $54 million that it will cost taxpayers has already been allocated.
“Many of the funds are available now and have been set aside,” said Bono.
Bono said the community breakfast on Jan. 9, was successful, with more than 300 people in attendance.
At the meeting, surveys were distributed to those who attended. The survey’s results are published on Talgov. com, the city of Tallahassee’s Web site. According to the site, more than 10 percent of those attending the community breakfast that fi lled out surveys
were Florida A&M students.
More than 46 percent of those attending felt that they have above average confi dence in the local government and 19 percent said they have strong confidence.
The most popular proposal of the projected FAMU way is the brook and trail concept.
This would eliminate the dangerous St. Augustine and FAMU way canal, and add
sidewalks and on-street bike lanes.
This option also takes up the least amount of space.
The project’s goal would be to provide more of a direct route to FAMU from Lake Bradford Road and Gaines Street.
An update of the progress was presented to the City Commission on Feb. 24, and the commission will be voting on the plan this summer.
The first public planning workshop will take place towards the end of April, but no date has been set yet.
This workshop will present the public’s preference on treatment of the St. Augustine canal, the overall design and benefi ts of the project.