YEA 2021 – FAMU Way

Halff Associates, Inc.

Project Location: Tallahassee, FL

Category: Transportation + Infrastructure

Initial Planning: March 12, 2007

Phase 3 Opening: April 30, 2021

Project Budget: $49,461,966

Project Cost: $52,725,912

Project Leadership Team:

• Roger Cain, PE, Program Engineer – City of Tallahassee
• Jack Beazley, PE, Civil Engineer III – City of Tallahassee
• Mark Llewellyn Jr, PE, Project Manager/EOR, Halff Associates Inc.

Project Overview:  With the charge of making FAMU Way “the most beautiful roadway,” this premier Tallahassee project was unanimously approved by the City of Tallahassee Commission to enhance transportation and serve as a major community investment.

The vision to create a seamless connection between Florida State University and Florida A&M University was achieved by providing a safe and beautiful mobility corridor for all forms of transportation. This pristine and innovative corridor eases traffic congestion, connects neighborhoods to other parts of the city and provides economic opportunity, social growth and the opportunity for citizens to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

The project extended FAMU Way from South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to North Lake Bradford Road, transforming a segment of existing roadway and constructing a new roadway to complete the desired connectivity. Due to an existing railroad and power transmission lines running throughout the corridor, the project team was challenged to design a roadway that could accommodate these barriers without sacrificing community goals.

The project was designed to achieve multimodal access and become a staple within the community. FAMU Way includes four aesthetic and functional roundabouts, wide sidewalks, a multiuse trail connecting to the St. Marks Trail, multiple community gathering places, a children’s playground, on-street parking, high-quality landscaping and hardscape, and much more.

Since its opening, the community has embraced FAMU Way and it has indeed successfully become “the most beautiful roadway” in Tallahassee.

Impact(s): The FAMU Way Corridor project is an exceptional example of holistic design through collaboration with a diversity of stakeholders. From the initial planning effort through construction and now into operation, FAMU Way has established a high standard for other multimodal projects to follow. The success of this project has placed the engineering profession in high regard throughout the community and has garnered high praise for the innovative design approach to numerous challenges.

Highlights:

• Holistic design through collaboration with a diversity of stakeholders
• Major community investment to enhance transportation
• Seamless connection between Florida State University and Florida A&M University
• Unique venture including multiple entities and stakeholders
• Multiple alignments considered through extensive planning
• Connectivity and neighborhood impacts analyzed
• Flexible cross sections deployed
• Critical power transmission and rail infrastructure avoided
• Successful community engagement
• Project phasing plan implemented
• Multiple roundabouts designed to improve corridor safety and aesthetics
• Multiple stormwater management facilities included to minimize flooding impacts and improve water quality
• Multimodal accommodations incorporated
• On-street parking optimized
• Adjacent neighborhood connectivity enhanced