Railroad Avenue construction postponed after concern from local businesses

Road construction near the Railroad Square Art District has been postponed till Dec. 4 after concerns from local business owners over the effects of street closures.

A year-long project was set to begin this week, but with events like First Friday happening, City Manager Reese Goad said the city has agreed to postpone operations on and around Railroad Avenue.

It didn't help that notices warning local businesses of the impending work all went to one shop in Railroad Square, one longtime vendor told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“We will adjust based on the pressure that they may be feeling because of the construction,” Goad said in an interview. Preliminary steps, such as staging of materials, will still go on.

According to the city's website, the end result of the project will include a multi-use trail, newly installed landscaped medians and pedestrian crossings, repaving the road, and the goal of tying FAMU Way and Gaines Street together through new features.

Over the last couple of decades, Gaines Street has transformed from a warehouse and industrial strip to a hopping retail and residential district catering to students. The nearby All Saints neighborhood also had a residential development boom.

The latest project “will create this seamless flow of walkability, from Gaines Street to FAMU Way, all incorporating Railroad Square — a real treasure of our community,” Goad explained. It also lies right in between the city's two university campuses, Florida A&M and Florida State.

A massive project to remake nearby FAMU Way, more than a decade in the making, completed in 2021, turning it into an "interactive connector road" with a new playground abutting Railroad Square, as well as traffic roundabouts, more street parking and a skateboard park.

'The timing could have been better'

As the holiday season gets underway, business owners say they're thankful to have roads open for First Friday, but many believe the timing of the entire project could have been pushed back till after the new year.

"The city has their reasons for why they've chosen this timeline, but to choose during the holiday shopping season rather than waiting just three weeks ... does kind of seem a little bit inconsiderate to such a large chunk of businesses in the area," said Jackie Skelding, owner of Curio and Rare Bird Interiors.

Ned Stacey, owner of Cosmic Cat Comics, has been in the area for over 20 years, originally starting in Gaines Street, then moving to Railroad Square. He said he's no stranger to roadwork, referring to work on Gaines Street 15 years ago, but he agreed that the timing could have been better.

"I expect my business to drop by 20%," Stacey said. "For them to do it at Christmas is a very bad time ... They should have put off to at least January. I know there are a lot of stores down here that it will hurt them greatly."

Moreover, Stacey said he didn't receive word that construction was set to start until around 3 weeks ago. Skelding shared that the city did send out word to businesses that construction was coming soon, but there was a slight problem with the message.

"They said that they sent out letters, (but) all of the letters, somehow by mistake all went to one business: Square Mug, which is at the front of Railroad Square," Skelding said. Other businesses "didn't know about these letters until Donna (the owner) from Square Mug happened to post in one of our community Facebook groups that she had tons and tons of letters from the city that had clogged up her mailbox."

She also mentioned the city published a detour map and hopes they place signs of it in the area, or even signs showing the alternative routes to access Railroad Square.

Railroad Avenue construction to happen in three stages

The project is set to take place in three phases, the first of which is now set to begin Dec. 4.

The first phase includes a road closure of Railroad Avenue between FAMU Way and Gaines Street, which includes business access and a 24-hour-a-day closure of the roadway around the railroad tracks.

Detours and closures will last for 45 days, if the project goes according to plan, with the second and third phase of the project bringing lane closures only.

Work hours will 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and no construction on Sundays.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @ari_v_otero

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Businesses ask, city responds: Railroad Avenue construction delayed