Gaines Street Notices
Please check back with this page often to get updates on the construction that is occuring and will occur on Gaines Street.
September 14, 2011
Work is underway on the textured crosswalks. Work is taking place overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and should not take place on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays of home football games or other major events in the area.
August 25, 2011
Construction on the project is nearing completion. Final touches are being put on the landscaping, pavement and sidewalks. On Friday, August 26, 2011, the City is celebrating this project milestone by hosting the Gaines Street Block Party. Following this event, the road will reopen to two-way traffic. Crews will still have a few remaining items to complete after the Block Party, including laying the crosswalks.
June 24, 2011
Segment One (Monroe Street to Macomb Street) Update
- Project work was impacted in mid June after a rainstorm washed out the curb walls surrounding the bio swales (areas with plants to help filter runoff). It required the contractor to wait while the curb walls were redesigned. During that time, work continued on the tree wall between Bronough and Duval streets.
- This week (June 20-24) aggressive work began again, with necessary nighttime closures to do the paving work in the intersections of Bronough and Duval streets.
- Plans are to move construction to the south side of Gaines Street during the first week of July, which would move the one-way through traffic to the completed north side lane.
- The original plan for the project required simply removing and replacing asphalt from the old brick roadway. During construction, however, it became evident that the material underneath the bricks was unstable and not strong enough for the long-term support of the roadway, thus requiring the removal of the bricks and the material below. The City is keeping all of the bricks that are in useable condition with plans to incorporate them as a future feature in either the Gaines Street or Cascades Park projects.
- The City expects the majority of work to be done on the roadway project in time for the Gaines Street Block Party, on Friday, August 26, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Segment Two (Macomb Street to West of Gay Street)
- The City held its mandatory pre-bid meeting in mid-June and strongly emphasized to all potential bidders the requirement to begin the Segment Two work between Macomb and Railroad and to complete that section of roadwork as the first priority while maintaining business access.
- To attain the smallest possible impact on local businesses after the contract has been awarded, the traffic/pedestrian circulation management plan will be developed by the contractor and reviewed and discussed with affected Gaines Street businesses.
- Bids for the second phase will be opened on July 7, with plans to take a recommendation to the City Commission at its July 13, 2011, meeting for award of the construction contract.
- Work on Segment Two is expected to begin in late August and is anticipated to take one year, barring any unforeseen impediments.
May 26, 2011
The City of Tallahassee has received $1 million in federal Brownfields grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and has been very active with testing and cleanup projects along the Gaines Street Corridor. In accordance with the Brownfields Salie Property Cleanup Grant, the City is pleased to present for public comment the final draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives, prepared by WRScompass on behalf of the City. If you have any comments or questions, please call Koren Taylor, Brownfields Program Coordinator, at 850-891-8703.
February 28, 2011
First Phase of Gaines Street Project Nears Completion; Median Construction Requires New Traffic Pattern
The City of Tallahassee will soon shift construction activities to the north side of Gaines Street. In order to accomplish this, the road will be completely closed to all traffic between Railroad Avenue and Duval Street over the weekend of March 5-6, 2011. This closure will allow crews time to complete necessary storm drain installations as well as set up the barricades and signage for a new traffic pattern.
When the road reopens on Monday, March 7, 2011, Gaines Street will be a one-lane, one-way westbound road between Duval Street and Railroad Avenue. Traffic headed eastbound on Gaines Street will be rerouted at Railroad Avenue north to Madison Street, which has three available eastbound lanes.
The new traffic pattern will give construction crews enough space to safely build median islands. This change signals the home stretch for the physical reconfiguration of the eastern portion of the road.
While work is not quite finished on the south side of the road, many of the improvements have been completed. Taking a stroll on the south side of Gaines Street today will give you a glimpse of what the entire road will feel like upon completion, including wide sidewalks, distinctive lighting and new landscaping.
Detours around the March 5-6 weekend closure will be clearly posted. The new one-way traffic pattern through and around the construction zone will be clearly posted as well. In addition to traditional construction signage, special signs will be placed on Madison Street to help direct motorists back to Gaines Street in order to access the area's businesses. A vacant City-owned lot on the corner of Gaines Street and St. Michael Street will be temporarily open for use as a public parking lot.
Later this year, the City will bid out similar construction work to take place on the project's second phase from Macomb Street west to Woodward Avenue. Full completion of the Gaines Street Project is anticipated by early 2012, pending no unforeseen circumstances.
The Gaines Street Project is part of the City Commission's goal to create an 18-hour, pedestrian friendly downtown. During the coming years, as the economy improves and development demand increases, this vital link between both area universities and downtown will become an urban corridor with public art displays, businesses and live/work spaces.
October 29, 2010
South Adams Street will be closed to all traffic between Gaines Street and Bloxham Street beginning Monday, Nov. 8. The closure is necessary for the reconstruction of South Adams Street as part of the Gaines Street project. Work is anticipated to be completed by Monday, Nov. 15, pending no unforeseen circumstances.
Detour routes will be clearly posted, and motorists are advised to use caution in the area.
July 7, 2010
Work is continuing on the south side of Gaines Street from Monroe Street to just east of Railroad Avenue. The lanes on the north side of the road are open for traffic, maintaining two-way travel with one lane used for each direction.
May 19, 2010 - Construction on Gaines Street Continues
As you have all experienced, construction on Gaines Street is well underway. The City of Tallahassee would like to thank you for your patience during this time and your continued commitment to Gaines Street. As we move into the next phase of construction, we want to continue our updates on the progress of this exciting project.
The next phase of construction will begin the physical reconfiguration of Gaines Street, with plans to start work just east of Railroad Avenue and moving east toward Monroe Street. The initial work will occur on the south side of the street (eastbound lanes), and the two lanes on the north side (westbound lanes) will remain open to traffic, with one lane in each direction. Work is set to begin Tuesday morning, May 25, at 9 a.m. with lane marking and striping, along with the installation of barricades for traffic control. Once the work is completed along the south side of the street, construction will shift to the north side and traffic will be shifted to the south side of the street.
This phase of the construction will include:
- Reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to two;
- Replacing curb, gutter and sidewalks, including wider sidewalks in many places to encourage pedestrian activity;
- Repaving the street;
- Upgrading traffic signals;
- Adding median islands and landscaping, including constructing rain gardens where possible;
- Installing enhanced crosswalks (both at signalized and mid-block locations);
- Installing special lighting and street signs to designate the Gaines Street District; and
- Maximizing the availability of on-street parking.
A project inspector will be onsite during construction to inspect the job and answer any questions that you may have. Listed below are the names and telephone numbers of project contact persons for the contractor and the City of Tallahassee.
| Office | |
| Sandco, Inc. | |
| Bob Myrick, Project Manager | 402-1111; cell: 251-8148 |
| Gary Gilbert, Superintendent | 402-1111; cell: 251-8152 |
| City of Tallahassee | |
| Mark Krause, Project Liaison | 570-8700 |
| Aron White, Project Field Manager | 545-7259 |
| John Gard, Construction Program Engineer | 891-8737 |
| Public Works Office | 891-8234 |
We realize that construction activities are, at times, noisy and create some inconvenience for citizens and businesses. Our goal is to minimize the negative aspects as much as we can. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you experience any problems during the project.
The Gaines Street project is an investment in our community and is designed to enhance the City of Tallahassee for citizens and businesses alike. We hope you will be pleased with the final result and again, we sincerely appreciate your patience through this next phase of construction.
Utilities
Electrical lines and poles have been moved, where possible, from the Gaines Street right-of-way to mid-block locations.
New water and sewer lines have also been installed. The new lines replaced the deteriorating older system and are necessary to support the new development that is anticipated within the Gaines Street corridor.